Adventures Of The Cat Bureau: Season One
by DiamondAndPearlStories
Summary: Find out the different kinds of cases the Bureau take in, is everything just a coincidence? Episodes released weekly
1. Episode One: The Girl Who Disappeared Tw

**Adventures Of The Cat Bureau: Season One**

 **Episode One: The Girl Who Disappeared Twice**

Baron Humbert Von Gikkingen was sitting at his desk, in fact he has been sitting there for a while lost in his thoughts. Business was running short and there had been no cases since Haru, who had been in danger of marrying a cat; more specifically, the Cat Prince of the Cat Kingdom whom Haru saved from being run over by a truck. This was a month ago and Baron wished he could see his most recent client again, for he had found respect in her when she stood up to the arrogant Cat King, who now had retired and gave the crown to Lune.

"Baron, you've been staring into space for a while now" said Toto, the stone crow with a soul who, with the help of his crow friends, safely returned Baron, Haru and Muta back to solid ground again as a staircase which to a human who wouldn't believe magic existed would be impossible. Not to Haru, who experienced the thrill of walking on the staircase.

"Toto, I've just been lost in my thoughts, there is no business for the Bureau today, just like any other day..." replied Baron, his head resting on his enclosed hand, looking at Toto who evidently had just been in the human world with his crow friends, perhaps?

"You're not wrong to say it's getting boring around here, especially without Muta-where is that furball anyway?" Questioned Toto, it seemed to Baron that Toto was looking to spark another daily argument, although neither of them had seen Muta all day

"Right here! New case?" Muta came through the doors in the middle of the conversation, to interrupt with this question. "If you're looking for a new case, start looking here" while saying this, Muta walked over to Baron and dropped an article at his desk, indicating he should read it aloud.

"Let's see: Only yesterday, the teenager was seen near her home in the area, but reports say she did not return home that evening. This is the fourth disappearance this month, where all the victims have been female students of ages 14-18. The police warn those this applies to to be careful when traveling and not to travel alone." Baron continued "There are no witnesses so far, but it is suspected that these victims are being lured into narrow dark alleyways, though how the victims disappeared has no existing theories at present." This was the end of the article, and Baron began to process what he had just read.

Well, I don't know about you Baron, but I'd say we're dealing with an expert here" Muta commented.

"What do you propose we do then, Baron?" Questioned Toto

"I'd suggest we look around older articles, dating from the beginning of this month up to yesterday, and look into these girls' histories, find a link which may tell us why they were kidnapped-Muta?" Baron stood up, once he said this and Muta responded instantly

"Then it's a good this I keep articles until the end of the month they're published in, sometimes you underestimate me birdbrain" commented Muta with pride in his voice.

"I didn't say anything you unoriginal hairball!" Replied Toto, slightly raising his voice

"Toto! Could you and your crow friends scan the local area daily, at least four times just to ensure the safety of the the local students, if your friends see anything, they should pay attention to every detail and report back to you or myself if another kidnapping is suspected" finished Baron

"Got it!" Toto flew out of the balcony, back to the human world to report to his friends. Only Baron and Muta were left alone

"So this is an official investigation for the bureau?" Questioned Muta

"... correct" Baron replied hesitantly, his mind wandered off again and Muta considered that he shouldn't disrupt Baron's thoughts, so he left to sort out the articles he mysteriously hid somewhere, where he hid them no one knew, not even Baron.

The next day...

"Muta, did you find anything?" Asked Baron once Muta came in the bureau doors

"I found all the articles which describes the chicky's who disappeared, though I can't find a link between them" replied Muta "maybe you'll find something I missed"

"Very well, let me take a look at those articles" requested Baron. He began reading the articles and did not look up until he found what he had been looking at, the evidence was right under his cat nose and it took him a while to realize a vital clue, immediately he drew out a map he had of the entire city, where all four victims were last seen, and marked with his ink and quail the locations. Only when Baron plotted the last location did Muta realize what he missed; all four locations formed a square on the map, Muta took the quail, marked the centre of the square and looked at Baron who also heard a noise outside the bureau-Toto was back.

"Baron-"

"Hold it birdbrain, we found something vital, I'll go first!" Interrupted Muta

"I doubt it's more important than what I found! Baron hear me out before furball interrupts again" continued Toto

"Both of you enough! Toto will go first, it may be urgent" stated Baron

"One of my friends reported seeing one of the victims I described somewhere different than where she was last seen according to the article" Toto said in a hurry

"Which one?" Asked Muta

"The fourteen year old girl apparently, the one spotted last in the bottom left corner of the map you've hung up there-what's that about?" Toto said pointing towards the map with his outstretched wing.

"Time for our news Baron, should I tell or should you?" Asked Muta

"Toto, on this map is the location of all the teenagers where they were last seen according to witnesses, it can't be a coincidence that they form a square" explained Baron "where is the location of the one your friend mentioned"

Toto flew over to the desk cautiously not to knock anything out of place, and pointed out a location close to the centre of the square which narrowed down the location where the Bureau might find the girls, especially as Toto added "my friend said there is an old building there that has been abandoned for years, this may be where we should look"

"Nice work Toto, we'll set off there tomorrow, you and I will travel the air, Muta will make his way on foot, all to divert suspicions, this is acceptable?" Inquired Baron. The other two nodded simultaneously in agreement of this strategy and the all set off they're separate ways: Muta left for his usual spot of a white plastic chair outside a cafe; Toto took his place on his pillar and morphed back into his original stone self; and Baron took his form back as a wooden cat figurine. The Bureau fell silent for the night, only to rest for the adventure the next day.

The next day...

"Are we there yet..." Muta said to himself, he and the flying duo, Toto and Baron, were on their way to the abandoned location, he was falling behind Toto who flew ahead so Baron could scan the area before investigating the building internally.

Once Baron and Toto arrived, they looked through each and every shattered window for any sign of life or evidence that life had once inhabited the building during the month the teenagers went missing. Nothing.

"This is indeed strange, Toto..." Said Baron. Suddenly movement caught Toto's attention at the ground floor, as he swooped immediately into thick branches of a tree, much to Barons confusion

"The lower left window, Baron, there's someone in the room" After Toto alerted him, Baron could make out the figure moving a sheet of metal to reveal a knocked down wall, a gap leading somewhere that wouldn't be obvious just by looking from the outside. Baron could only just make out the outline of a staircase descending into the ground, Toto was thinking the same thing

"No one would have found them, they're right beneath us! What now Baron, we can't move the metal on our own can we?"

"Muta might be capable of doing it, we'll wait until he gets here" informed Baron. The duo continued to watch the shadow figure of a man as he emerged from the gap he disappeared into, and after a couple of minutes he left the building. As if perfect timing, Muta turned up almost exhausted from walking all this way, and Toto flew beside him for Baron to explain what they just witnessed.

Suddenly something started making beeping noises, being guided towards the noise, Baron found technology which he couldn't identify-knowing next to nothing about technology in his old-fashioned bureau. He hesitated before pressing the biggest button, and hearing a message come through loud and clear:

"Is there someone there or is my imagination playing tricks on me? It's either that the security camera is picking up CGI"

"If you're aware of our arrival and can hear my voice, we are real-who are you and where are you watching us from?"

"Are... are you really real? I haven't seen a human being in almost a month, but I didn't expect a dapper cat in a... brilliant suit! Where did you get it?"

Baron, the only one who had been speaking to this voice, discarded the comment on his appearance once he heard a vital word "month? Are you one of the teenage girls who has gone missing during this month? How are you communicating with us?"

"The news mentioned all of us then, how did you- never mind for now, we're all here, just make your way in if you know how?"

"We have located the entrance, we will join you shortly"

"Bring the device with you, we'll stay in touch"

Once Muta removed the entrance, Baron, Toto and Muta cautiously walked down the stairs, and flew! There had been no contact to the device from the female voice they all heard, and none of the Bureau team knew how to make it work the other way. After a few minutes of silence, the device rang out again, causing them all to jump

"Just so you know, I forgot to mention it's like a labyrinth in here, once you find the others, I'll guide you out-"

"You mean to say you're not with them?" This voice belonged to Toto

"The others are in a group but I separated myself from them to contact the outside world- take your next right- you picked up my message after a month of broadcasting"

A thought clicked in Barons mind "you didn't mention us saving you-"

"My priority is the others first, if you're unnoticed by the kidnappers, then I'll let you come back for me"

For a second, Baron thought she smiled on the other side, because of how confident she sounded when she said she'll let the bureau go back for her. "What's your name?"

"Hey you're really close now, just at the end of the corridor, second door to your left!"

"I'll ask again, what is your name?" Repeated Baron

"What's yours?"

"I am Baron Humbert Von Gikkingen-"

"Well, Baron, the kidnappers are back, my CCTV cameras just picked them up, they're already in the tunnels, the door that's holding the other three is activated by voice recognition but where I am I could override the system and open it but..." her voice trailed off which made Baron uneasy.

"They'll be alerted to your activity and whereabouts, and they'll catch you before we reach you..."

"Nothing will escape you, but I'll still do it for them, I'll be fine! I'll handle it on my own, my escape"

"No, just listen to me-"

"Deactivation of door initiated, I suggest... you run"

"... thank you, I wont give up on you just yet though!" With this, Baron released his hold on the button, and he turned to the watching duo, as all the girls were watching at the same time, he allowed them to hear him too "Muta, get these young ladies out of here, I've marked the way with white chalk in case we should lose contact with our new friend, Toto you will leave too, wait for my return to the surface in case I need to make an emergency get away"

"Got it! Good luck" informed Toto

"You get back to the bureau yourself Baron, you'd better come back, you hear?" Said Muta with concern in his voice. A moment passed and the group left without Baron, who proceeded deeper inside, where he heard a commotion which ended a minute before he reached his destination: a door at the end of a narrow darkened corridor, opened slightly-keeping to the shadows to avoid being seen by the wrong human, he cautiously stepped into the room, full of technology beyond a normal average civilian could use, to find them destroyed, electricity flying off ripped wires (which wouldn't harm Baron as he was made of wood), the lights were out too, exploded, some of them still working which allowed Baron to see he was alone in this room. He pressed on the button of his device and spoke into it; "hello, are you there? Hello, say... something", Baron heard a faint voice in the other side of the room, and cautiously walked over-someone was repeating what he was saying in a distorted sounding tone. "Where... are you..." the voice was now loudest under some metal rubble, and Baron kicked it aside to reveal an identical device to his: the girl who assisted him had disappeared, and it appeared that the kidnappers had gotten here first, taking her elsewhere. The room was silent, and Baron found himself holding his breath. He left the room.

"... she knew what would happen Baron, she accepted that she would have to wait a little longer, for us" a girl stood next to Baron, Kasey, the fourteen year old.

Baron was back at the bureau, along with Muta, Toto, Kasey, Kiki, and Hikari. The three remaining girls were escorted to the hidden refuge via a portal (a similar style to what took Haru to the cat kingdom), and Baron had been staring into space. Miss Kasey, what was her name?"

"She never told you..."

"..."

Kasey sighed "she said if someone happened to come-which you have- she would resist revealing her name as part of a 'game' and she would put her life on the line, I'd known her for just over three weeks, and I think... you'll definitely see her again, and you'll eventually learn her name when the time is right"

"Thank you. I'll see all your safe returns home."

"My new friends and I have agreed that this place is our secret" the other two approached as she said this.

"If you find yourself troubled by something mysterious, or a problem you can't solve, you will always find help here, and the bureaus doors will be open, be it day or night" Baron smiled to the three girls.


	2. Episode Two: The Unforgettable Song

**Episode Two: The Unforgettable Song**

"Nothing on the mystery girl?" Asked an impatient Toto to Baron, who was pacing around his home without a lead on a missing girl he spoke to the day before. Baron swore he wouldn't give up on helping her-helping anyone who needed a problem solved, although she was the exception. Sure, no one knew even her name, but nothing stopped Baron believing he could do something to save her, and he believed she was still alive and well for the time being.

"How could there be no leads? No one vanishes without a trace, not forever" commented Baron

"Take a break Baron, your brain's overheating," said Muta, with boredom in his voice "Chicky was that confident that you'll see each other again, so let's leave it as that"

"He's right, something will come up eventually about her if we don't look for it Baron" noted Toto.

"Is there any new business for the bureau?" Asked Baron, the was a silence between the trio

"There might be..." said a quiet voice from outside the building, Baron opened the door to see a human girl standing there, at least twelve years old in a lemon coloured summer dress, she had a guitar hanging over her back by a blue strap, the neck facing downwards behind her.

"Good morning, and welcome to the bureau" Baron introduced himself "I am Baron Humbert Von Gikkingen"

"You're... a cat?" Asked the confused girl

"More specifically, a Creation: When someone creates something, with all of their heart, that creation is given a soul, you see? Like me and my good friend and fellow bureau member Toto" he nodded his head towards Toto "a stone crow with a soul"

"Ah... he's bigger than a usual crow..." exclaimed the girl

"Meet Muta, last but not least, a cat who ages every day" continued Baron

"You need to remind me I'm mortal?"

"What did he say?" Asked he girl

"You don't understand cat?" Asked Toto

"You know someone who can?" Questioned the girl

"I suppose there will be a lack in communication today, between muta and- forgive for not asking your name?" Baron realized. He looked up at the girl who wasn't looking at anything in particular, which indicated to the bureau members that something was indeed wrong. "Please step into the bureau"

They all entered the bureau, where the girl sat on the chest awaiting tea, with added lemon. Once she received it, the conversation started

"Now let's get down to business, you say you're having a bit of trouble?" Asked Baron

"I can't tell you my name... because I have no memory of my life" hesitated the girl

"In that case assign yourself a name chicky" suggested Muta, although she looked confused

"What he said was that we should call you by a name, so pick a temporary one until we find a way of recovering your memories" explained Toto

"I see... just call me Serena in that case" Serena gave a beaming smile

"Well miss Serena, you say you lost your memory, can you somehow remember how?"

"It's the only thing I know, there was a glowing light in front of me while I was walking in the streets, the next thing I know, my memory turned blank and I couldn't remember anything" Serena continued "though I do have a clue what might be responsible... or who" she brought out a piece of card with an embossed logo on it, a symbol of a flame inside a cresent moon. Baron took it for examination and almost tripped over his chair while he was lost in thought.

"Hey watch where you're going! You okay Baron?" Worried Muta

"My instinct tells my you recognize this card, it also tells me I should too" said Toto

"It's from an enemy we've dealt with before in the Kingdom of the Ocean, you'll remember him as 'The Memory-Theif' Toto" claimed Baron

"I knew he took the memories of sea creatures, hence why humans claim fish have a three second memory, but a human like Serena?" Toto showed his confusion when he tilted his head, and Baron was obviously in thought when he started walking around the bureau as he always did to help him think.

"I think a visit to the Kingdom of the Ocean is in order, because he took Serena's memory, he may be up to something which puts the entire Human World in danger" warned Baron

"You're taking her with you?" Asked Muta

"If we want a guarantee that her memory will be restored, then Toto and I will bring miss Serena along, Muta you are free to stay here if you mind this particular Kingdom" offered Baron

"Just one question..." Serena chimed in after her long silence "how will we get to the Kingdom of the Ocean?"

"Prepare to be amazed-" Claimed Toto, his wings extended as if he was about to take off out the bureau windows

"For a portal is needed!" Baron finished

It took a while to start a portal, but in the end a blue and white shattered-mirror-like circle formed and Baron, Toto and Serena were ready.

"You're free to leave your guitar miss Serena?" Suggested Baron

"That's fine, I never let it leave my sight... not since I remember any way... and just call me Serena!" She held the guitar close to her, and motioned that she was ready to go, so they all walked into the portal following Muta's claims that they should return if they didn't want to face his wrath. It all happened quite quick, for Serena woke up, suspecting that she fell unconscious for a while, Baron was leaning over her in a size which appeared very human, and as he helped her to her feet, she found that he was two heads taller than her.

"Serena! Are you alright?" Baron had reason to be worried, when Serena suddenly felt dizzy and toppled over, shaky from her journey

"I'm fine, what happened? And where are we now?" Asked the confused Serena

"Luckily we're in the amphibians area, where there's dry land..." Baron continued "the journey is rough, and the portal sometimes scrambles a human's mind leaving them dazed and confused, I should have warned you sooner, I'm sorry about that" apologized Baron, adjusting his top hat on in the right position.

Serena noticed he had her guitar on him, barely damaged from the rough journey, Baron must have followed her eyes "Allow me to look after it while you take the time to recover"

"Baron, what now?" Called Toto from above. He had probably been flying there for a while, neither Serena or Baron noticed him before he spoke

"Hmm, last time we encountered the Memory-thief in that castle over there!" Baron called back, pointing at the darkened castle across a murky lake "Serena, we are in a part of the kingdom where pollution is at the highest, anywhere else is safer than this so stay close to us at all times when we he into that castle" Serena noticed Baron had a grave serious look on his face when he said this, and began to feel uneasy about coming to the Kingdom

"How do we get over the lake? I might not be a very strong swimmer..." Serena quietly asked

"If I can handle fatso back at home, I'm certain you both won't be a problem!" Suggested Toto

This lead to Baron and Serena flying on Toto's back, Baron holding Serena securely as she kept her eyes tightly shut. It appeared to Baron that she did not cope well with heights either, so he held her tighter for reassurance, she opened an eye and smiled at Baron in appreciation who returned the smile before turning away to look at the castle up ahead once again with a serious expression. Once they landed, Serena lost her balance once more and weren't as fortunate this time for Baron to catch her as she hit the damp earth with a thud "ow... I never want to do that again!" She was once again helped to her feet once Baron gracefully landed off Toto, whereas she fell off.

"If you thought you could enter the castle without being seen, you're mistaken strangers" said a voice, a frog, as big as Toto approached the trio

"We intend not to enter unseen but to meet with your leader" requested Baron with confidence, which made the nervous Serena jealous that she was so scared of a frog.

"I'll take you to him, but the chicken stays out here" ordered the frog

"I'm a crow, I look nothing like a chicken" Toto raged slightly

"Await our return Toto" requested Baron as he and Serena headed inside.

"Well who do we have here? Or rather the question is... what?" Asked the Memory-thief in a loud booming voice. His voice, like his appearance, made Serena shiver in fear; his species was an eagle, not a member of the Kingdom of the Ocean. His cape allowed his massive wings to move freely, and thanks to Serena's decreased size, he would have no trouble killing her in a split second. He instantly recognized her "well if it isn't the human who's memories I locked away"

"We are here to request that you give them back to Serena-"

"And if it isn't my good friend Baron" the Memory-thief smiled with an evil glint in his eye "you know I play with the minds of others by locking their memories deep in their minds"

"Yes, but a human beings? When did you step so low?" Baron cautiously questioned.

"All for fun, one day she'll unlock them again, even though humans are weak..." he looked at Serena with amusement "... they're strong enough to gain their memories again"

"How do I do that?" Asked Serena with a tremble in her voice, Baron looked over to her with concern that she may have a panic attack from the events which unfolded before her.

"I can't guarantee anything, you have to find it yourself, child, the key to unlocking your memories is up to you" boomed the icy voice which sent another shiver down her spine. "Before I order my guards on you Baron, I suggest you start running, you can not stop me playing my games and amusing myself, so run as fast as you can"

"Hmm, Serena, run, we need to get out while we still can! Run!" Shouted Baron, he pulled Serena to her feet and they started running together, although Serena was too slow. Baron picked her up to speed up their escape.

"Ah, Baron! I-"

"Don't worry, it's quite alright, I can handle it" explained Baron

Once the duo got outside, Toto was ready for takeoff, and so the journey over the lake started again, much to Serena's dismay, only this time she knew Baron would look after her like he had done before, so she felt more comfortable about it. Once they got to the other side, rather than making the same mistake as before, Baron lifted Serena up and jumped off toto with her so she wouldn't hurt herself again, much to her surprise. They immediately opened the portal before the guards swam across the river, being amphibians, and ended up back in the bureau with a crash-all of them!

"Ah, that was rougher than I expected..." exclaimed Baron, rubbing the back of his head

"You think?" He looked up to see Muta staring down at the fallen trio. Serena had a couple of grazes on her arms and Toto landed so his talons would hit the stone ground first, stopping him from sustaining too much damage to his body.

"Now what? How do I get my memory back?" Asked Serena in a scarce voice

"What I'd like to know is how that piece of wood hasn't broken yet!" Exclaimed Toto, referring to the guitar Baron forgot about until that moment, he walked over to the now Serena-sized instrument to examine it carefully

"Why, Toto, that's it! It's this guitar that Serena needs to unlock her memory; the Memory-thief must have protected it with some sort of magic so the key wouldn't be permanently lost, you don't go anywhere without because of how precious it is to you Serena, even though your memory is locked within your conscience, the key is never an item you forget." He took a breath before continuing "play it Serena"

"I lost my memory, how could I remember any songs?" Exclaimed Serena

"Just trust me" Baron said quietly.

Serena picked up her guitar and took a deep breath, then began to play: she was rather hesitant at first but once she began to strum gently, a rhythm flowed through her fingers, and she let her fingers run freely over the strings to form the chords required for a beautiful melody. A light began to shine and envelope Serena, which gave her heart a reason to beat faster. "Keep going, you're playing beautifully!" Announced Baron, Serena decided to trust in those words and continued to play-for her new friends who helped her, she would dedicate this song for, which sounded familiar to her. Memories began to flood back and she remembered her family, friends and last but not least important, her name. The song came to an end, and so did the light which surrounded the bureau members and herself.

"I remember! Everything!" Exclaimed Serena

"Nice work Serena!" Congratulated Toto

"My name isn't Serena any more Toto, it's Natsuki" the girl beamed at the bureau, and shot her thankfulness their way with a short melody. She found a new light, in the path of music, and she would never forget it was Baron who guided her. Not ever.


	3. Episode Three: One Member Short

**Episode Three: One Member Short**

For the bureau, changing someones life comes as often as a client comes and goes. Almost. Sometimes it's not so easy, even impossible.

The bureau was seeing no business today and the trio wanted to do something interesting; it had been a week since the last case, and Baron had seen it's success before the day was up. Muta had been thinking about what he would do in the near future too, he couldn't live forever like Baron and Toto, and so he should treasure his life more; it was Baron who said this once to him years ago when they first met, but Muta never took him seriously, in fact he only started to think about this when he was knocked by a car at the crossroads only two days ago. Luckily his injuries were not severe.

"He's not himself today either Baron..." Toto quietly said, he was concerned that Muta had not been responding to his name calling as he had always done.

"Only time will cure him, at the moment I think we should dismiss him from being at the bureau" Baron gravely said. While he and Toto were at Barons desk, Muta was sitting outside in his chair staring into the distance, before he suddenly stood up and walked towards the exit.

"Looks like he's going back into the Human World again" said Toto with a sigh. It appeared to both Creations that nothing may be back to normal again, unless someone brought Muta back to his arrogant, hungry self.

Muta just left the bureau and was slightly limping to the crossroads, a bad memory flashed through his mind of the crash, a car which slid on the ice of winter going too fast to stop in time, Muta could only count himself lucky to be alive. He resumed his usual position on a white plastic chair outside a cafe, and drifted off to sleep.

Snow decided at this point to fall from grey clouds which lingered for a while, and back in the bureau, Toto resumed statue form, not feeling the temperature drop which entered dramatically as a life-form just entered the bureau; Baron however, was moving in his flesh form and acknowledged the arrival, walking out of the bureau to greet this new client.

"Good afternoon, and welcome to the bureau" greeted Baron

"So you're the Cat Bureau? I expected more members" replied the figure, a man in his fifties maybe, he had dressed up for the weather with a scarf, hat and gloved, all red. He wore a thick coat and Baron could make out that he was wearing black jeans and black leather boots.

"I am Baron Humbert Von Gikkingen, and the stone statue behind you is Toto, another member of the bureau, like me he is a Creation" explained Baron

"There's also another called Muta, and large white cat-I have heard all about you, I wont tell you how." He spoke "I have an issue I request you assist me with"

"Of course, that is the bureaus line of work, what issue are we talking about?"

"Finding an object called the 'Frozen Heart'" the man revealed little information to go on for the Baron

"I have never heard of such an object, what is it's function and origin?" Asked Baron

"It's origin is a world entirely different to this one, most commonly called the Lost World of Ice, the function of this item is to help find the world and relieve it of it's 'lost' title, this Frozen Heart is somewhere in this world, and I require the bureaus assistance in locating it" explained the stranger "here is my card" he presented a card to Baron, bending lower so he could retrieve it out of the man's red glove: On the card was the name Shinji Y. "Just call me Shinji"

"Well this is quite an unusual request... Shinji, where do you suppose it could be?" Questioned Baron

"I received intelligence quite recently that I'll find it in a museum somewhere in this town, though that would mean-"

"Stealing it..." Baron finished "you wouldn't be able to break into the museum without alerting anyone, so you're asking the Bureau to" he grimly said

"You must understand that no human could understand the power they're containing for display, no human knows what this object is, and it's function but me"

"Very well, I shall see what I can do, come by tomorrow and I will succeed or fail at retrieving it tonight with Toto" explained baron, resisting the urge to let a sigh escape his lips, this was not in the job description

"Thank you for your assistance, I'll reward you for your valiant efforts should you succeed" he turned to leave and vanished around the corner, into the alleyways. Toto woke from his stone state, and flew down to the roof of the bureau

"Baron, maybe you can't trust him, did he really request we break in?" Asked a confused Toto

"It's our job to help people and he seemed to have a valid reason to need it so much, perhaps lives can be saved by this object. Either way I should go through with this" Baron decided. Toto nodded in vague agreement, still unsure they should do this. He suggested that he flew into the human world to locate the right museum and the right interior location, to avoid trouble and confusion later on in the night. Baron had time on his own before Toto came back, so he decided to write a letter to a friend whom he needed the advice of. For Muta's sake.

Muta, who slept out in the cold and snowy weather, woke up covered in snow. Shaking off the snow, he stood up on the seat and jumped off, a shot of pain through his injured leg made him cringe for a second, but we continued to walk on it, he decided to pay someone a visit, and it weren't Baron.

"I've found the exact location of the object we're looking for, Baron" exclaimed Toto once he got back. By this time, Baron had finished his letter and sent it off already. "I can get into this museum unnoticed as well as you" finished Toto.

"Understood, the sun has already gone down, we will leave shortly, where is Muta, have you seen him?" Baron wondered

"Not in his usual place, he must be bothering someone in their home" replied Toto on the balcony

Baron sighed "it's one way of preoccupying yourself regardless of if he is bothering someone or not"

"I suppose you're not wrong"

"Shall we set off then?"

"Good idea"

Baron rode Toto to the museum once the sun had completely set, to avoid being seen, though because toto was matt black, it would still be easy to go during sunset. The duo landed in the tree nearest to the entrance Toto figured out prior to their arrival, and Toto explained how to get in "there is a gap in the wall which the both of us could fit through, in front is an exhibit which hides the gap, through there is the room where you'll find this Frozen Heart in display in the centre" Toto explained. "It's not in a glass case or anything but I imagine it will be heavy-nothing I can't manage though if I've handled Fatso"

"This shouldn't be too difficult then, I'll go in first Toto" decided Baron, once Toto lowered Baron to solid ground, Baron crept through the darkened crack in the wall, signalling for Toto after a minute that it was safe to follow inside the museum. Toto pointed out the Frozen Heart from behind the artefact for Barons eyes to follow. On display was a rock in the shape of a stereotypical heart, though unlike a rock it glistened like topaz in a darkish purple colour, sending shivers down Barons spine with its beauty. It was half the size of Toto, too big for Baron to handle, so Toto flew up once he was certain that no one was around, and took the rock into his talons and cautiously flew back to Barons subtle location

"Got it, now what?" Asked the crow

"Now we should quietly make our exit, before alarms go off" Cautioned Baron. Once Toto nodded his agreement, the duo took their subtle leave, Baron on Totos back, taking flight. Toto continued to hold the rock securely in his talons, not about to let it slip as he has wished many time to do to Muta. By the time they got to the bureau, the alarms set off, and the duo almost out of sound range, almost. Baron felt slightly guilty but given what the stranger said the rock could do, he had no choice.

The next day...

"Thank you for fulfilling my wish to pursue the Frozen Heart, the Lost World of Ice will be found once and for all" exclaimed the senior client "perhaps your troubles and you guilt will all be solved with this gift" he handed a small box to Baron, even though to the figurine it was a quarter of his size, he opened it to reveal the most beautiful necklace he ever saw in his Created life; it was the shape of a snowflake from a children's fantasy book (if snowflakes are that dull in our reality) and, according to Shinji Y., it was made of real diamonds. "Give this necklace to someone important to you Baron, and you will forever be remembered in their heart" Shinji claimed, he bowed in gratitude before leaving, passing Muta who wore confusion on his face

"Hey Baron, what's going on? Who was that?" Asked Muta in a dull voice, which he wore since the accident

"Don't we have a story to tell you..." sighed Baron, looking at the beautiful crafted gift taking up his entire gloved hand.

Snow once again began to fall, the sky a light shade of grey, folding his hand over the diamond, Baron took a look back on the events that will one day come back to haunt him, after all, did he do the right thing to trust the mans sincere words? He looked down at his hand, and began his long wait for the answer.


	4. Episode Four: Whisper From The Past

**Episode Four: Whisper From The Past**

Baron was found sitting at his desk again, by Toto, who often entered through the bureau balcony window, nothing was new at the bureau, not since the case of Shinji and Baron decided to look back at his past cases, only the ones involving humans-most cases were brought to the bureau by creatures from other worlds, kingdoms like the Ocean kingdom and the Cat kingdom.  
"All the cases we've had over the years are very unique, the next will bring surprises too because clients are always unpredictable" reviewed Toto. "Remember Komiko?"  
Baron smiled, his head in resting on his hand "who could forget?"  
 _Two years ago, the bureau faced a mid-twenties young woman who found herself feuding with the neighbour's dog over most of her life living in her hometown, it turned out that this dog wasn't happy with the constant visits of a strange male companion, the same age as her. To make complications worse Komiko couldn't understand dog language and found herself going mad with the dogs constant noise level; she was-according to Muta-quite a bizarre case, but issues were resolved in the end and the dog accepted that the visits will continue over a long period of time_  
"The issue really is that most human beings do not try to listen carefully to those a different species" said Baron  
"We both know an exception, Baron" claimed Toto  
"Of course!" Barons smile lit up again at the thought of Haru, her case was only less than two months ago and the problem she had involved the previously mentioned Cat Kingdom  
 _The day was a summers day, and the seventeen years old, Haru, saved a cat from being killed by a truck, only this was Prince Lune, the son of the Cat King who kidnapped Haru to marry his son, if she hadn't listened to the kind voice of Yuki, Baron would never have met her, and she wouldn't have gotten back home before dawn to her mother. She even confessed to having feelings for him and Barons last words would ensure their reuniting: "if you ever need us, you will always know how to find us again, and the Bureau's doors will be open for you, be it day or night"._  
"Do you think it was a coincidence that a human who understands the language of cats would get into trouble with the cats own Kingdom?" questioned Baron  
"Now that you think of it that way, it's strange" replied Toto. "You think she thought of that too?"  
"She will probably be too busy with examinations and home life to consider it, but perhaps she is connected somehow to cats in her past, to a time so far back when she was too young to remember it today" suggested Baron  
"You're probably right-"  
"It's simply just a theory, Toto"  
"But doesn't this take you to Lilo? How she found the bureau on her own at her age, I have no idea" Toto shook his head  
"Adults say imaginary friends aren't real, even some teenagers" Baron continued "but you have to be trusting of your imagination and beliefs to be able to see with your eyes what your mind imagines"  
 _Lilo was a client from four years ago, at the time she was only five years old, misunderstood by elder people around her. She came into the bureau claiming that her imaginary friend guided her there, Baron and Muta had no choice but to believe it though Muta was sceptical at first, before he realized a five year old wasn't capable of finding the right route through dozens of alleys without assistance of some sort. Lilo claimed that she wanted to be a writer, writing about her friend, but as she kept growing, she was beginning to lose what she needed to see her imaginary friend. Baron helped her keep faith that her friend exists so she began to write about her friend as she knew her friend already, before being threatened to never hear his voice again. Even now, Baron wondered if she is still holding on to her closest friend._  
"By this time, she'll be nine years old" Toto calculated  
"This is an age where you gain more sight of reality than your imaginary world" sighed Baron, this is a case he feared he had failed once she left on her own imaginary adventure. Every story has an end.  
"I'm going to the Human World Baron, would you like to come?" Offered Toto  
"No thank you, Toto, there is always work to be done here at the Cat Bureau" Baron turned his offer down, picking up a short pile of reports, some aged older than others, which needed sorting in order of age, evidently. Toto nodded in understanding and flew out of the bureau window for his solo adventure.  
 _The month was November, the last day to be precise, and the cold weather crept in Barons home. Snow came early this year and this indicated to Baron that the snow will build up from a terrible snowstorm near Christmas time-thanks to a bit of bureau magic, Baron would be able to keep snow out of the refuge if it gets too heavy, for now it covered the stone ground in a thin layer of snow, with footsteps belonging to the one and only Baron, while Muta has been absent for longer than his set record. This was to be expected but Baron still had concerns for a friend he had known for years. He took out a new report from a draw in his desk, one of the oldest he filed over a decade ago; it was dusty and the colour of green was wearing off the cover. Blowing gently to reveal the cover information, he recognized it as one of his worst cases. From before the bureau started itself._  
 _The story started with an old friend of Barons, an elderly human who loved to help others if they were in trouble, especially his grandson who had no idea what he wanted to do with his life. Baron was a wooden doll to everyone but he revealed himself only to this elderly man at the time and they were close friends. The elderly man taught Baron how to help others, giving stories of the people who's problems he solved, and it appeared that giving to others was the elderly mans greatest wish, and Baron respected that. One day the old man fell ill, to an illness he knew would very shortly take his life. The cure was rare but he didn't give up helping others to look for it..._  
Baron took a deep breath, and leaned back in his chair, staring into the distance.  
 _The past Baron feared that he would lose his friend, and so set himself the task of solving his problem before he had the chance to die-promising to return with a cure for his illness, Baron set off on a journey around Japan. He eventually met the stone crow Toto, who was a statue on top of an old building. Together they flew around Japan to find what they seek, and upon finding the cure, they returned to the old man: to find he had died the day before their return. Baron couldn't attend his funeral with other humans around, so in sympathy, Toto flew him into a nearby tree to watch the ceremony from a distance._  
 _Baron remembered what he said to Toto which took them to their present arrangement_  
 _"I should have been quicker, my first case, and I failed-it cost my close friend his life."_  
 _"You couldn't have tried any harder Baron, I'm sure he would be very proud" comforted Toto_  
 _"... Toto, if you have nowhere to go, will you be considering to start a business with me? The least I can do is continue where he left off, but I can not do it alone, I'll introduce you to Muta, my cat friend who I'm sure would be willing to help me, but I also would appreciate your help too" he informed his new crow friend._  
 _"To be lonely is heartbreaking, I have been lonely on top of that building all my life, there are other statues but none of them have a soul like me, I'd be happy to accompany you in your quest Baron" replied Toto, watching the coffin lower into the dry earth, like Baron next to him. By the end of the funeral, when everyone had gone home, Baron walked over to the newly filled grave and knelt down in front of it_  
 _"I will find a special place for all Creations who no longer have a place to go, and I will name the refuge 'The Cat Bureau', a name I hope every Creation will come to recognize if they have a problem on their hands for us to solve" he said to the grave_  
 _"Alongside Muta and Toto, I will create a refuge for Creations to live in peacefully without human disturbance" Baron read out of the report "but if anyone has a problem they can't solve alone, the bureau will always be open, even for humans" Baron rested his elbow on his desk, his head on his hand and the book in his other hand. He began to consider how these actions took him to the present day; sure, the bureau had business concerning others problems, but not a single creation needed accommodation in the neighbouring miniature houses he, Toto and Muta built, which lead to him and Toto being the only Creations living there for over two decades now._  
Baron stood up after possibly sitting for hours in one place, giving him cramps in his legs and his lower back-this weren't due to age, he would stay this way in a centuries time if he didn't break before then, he was losing his energy to staying at the bureau most of the time, either sitting down or taking very few steps to make his own personal blend of tea. He stepped outside for a walk around the refuge grounds, to gather his thoughts and his energy back to him, looking up, he could see stars in the sky as clear as he has ever seen them; did he really spend all day reading past reports and recollecting memories? Like any other day, the business in the bureau was rare, but if Baron could have the time to admire the world by looking up at the night sky, it didn't really matter.


	5. Episode Five: The Week Before Christmas

div class="ContentRight WithRightRail FullView" style="line-height: 19.9936px; min-width: 428px; position: absolute; top: 0px; right: 160px; bottom: 0px; left: 205px; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Segoe UI Web Regular', 'Segoe UI Symbol', 'Helvetica Neue', 'BBAlpha Sans', 'S60 Sans', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.08px;" data-link="class{:~ ( , )}"  
div class="ContentRightInner t_mbgc t_qtc t_urtc" style="line-height: 19.9936px; color: #444444; position: absolute; left: 0px; right: 0px; top: 0px; bottom: 2.2em;"  
div id="inboxControl0fv-ReadMessageContainer" class="v-ReadMessageContainer slideOnResize" style="line-height: 19.9936px; position: absolute; right: 0px !important; left: 0px !important; top: 0px !important; bottom: 0px; padding-left: 20px; outline: none; transition: top 367ms cubic-bezier(0.1, 0.9, 0.2, 1) 0s, left 367ms cubic-bezier(0.1, 0.9, 0.2, 1) 0s, right 367ms cubic-bezier(0.1, 0.9, 0.2, 1) 0s; visibility: visible;" tabindex="-1"  
div class="c-ReadMessage" style="line-height: 19.9936px; margin-right: 20px; outline: none; position: relative; height: 898.031px; width: 1535px;" data-link="class{readMessageClass: ~ }"  
div id="ReadMessageScrollableSection" class="rmMessages ClearBoth" style="line-height: 19.9936px; clear: both; position: absolute; left: 0px; right: 0px; top: 0px; bottom: 0px; padding-right: 20px; overflow-y: scroll; outline: none;" tabindex="-1"  
div id="readMessagePartControl425f" class="c-ReadMessagePart ReadMsgContainer HasLayout ClearBoth HideShadows FullPart NoHistory Read RmIc" style="line-height: 19.9936px; clear: both; border-top-width: 1px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-color: #cccccc; margin-bottom: 20px; position: relative;" data-link="class{:~ (IsConversationPart, IsRead, IsDraft, IsTrustedSender, )}"  
div class="c-ReadMessagePartBody" style="line-height: 19.9936px;" data-link="class{getClass:IsBodyExpanded}"  
div class="readMsgBody" style="line-height: 19.9936px; overflow-y: hidden; overflow-x: auto; padding: 16px 0px 0px;"  
div id="bodyreadMessagePartBodyControl430f" class="ExternalClass MsgBodyContainer" style="line-height: 21.3px; font-size: 15px; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" data-link="class{:~ (PlainText, IsContentFiltered)}"  
div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 21.3px;"span style="text-decoration: underline;"strongEpisode Five: The Week Before Christmas/strong/span/div  
div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 21.3px;"With only a week for Christmas, the bureau only got busy with decorating Barons house for the occasion-though you could say Toto and Muta were the only ones doing the work at the minute. Baron had been practising a new blend of tea for the occasion, using mistletoe and style="line-height: 21.3px;" /"You realize the proper use for mistletoe is to kiss the love of your life underneath?" Mocked Muta, you could say he was almost back to normal, thanks to a friend of Barons whom he wrote to on the issue and an unknown source that Muta refused many times to style="line-height: 21.3px;" /"So I understand" replied Baronbr style="line-height: 21.3px;" /"Are you hinting that you've been seeing someone recently Muta? You've disappeared a few times in the past couple of weeks from your usual chair" teased Totobr style="line-height: 21.3px;" /"Shut up Birdbrain, it's nothing to do with you" Muta retaliated, Baron smiled knowing that the argument had sparked up again, he missed the commotion whilst Muta had been absent and healingbr style="line-height: 21.3px;" /"No matter how many times you try to make me talk, I wont say anything!" Protested Muta "At least, you wont know until Christmas day where I've been"br style="line-height: 21.3px;" /Baron set his kettle down in surprise at Muta's last sentence "you've invited a friend to spend Christmas day here at the bureau?"br style="line-height: 21.3px;" /"Yeah, don't worry Baron, you'll be okay with it once the day comes, I'm certain" said Muta with a glint of evil in his style="line-height: 21.3px;" /"Hmm, if you say so" Baron replied, irrate with how secretive Muta was beingbr style="line-height: 21.3px;" /"Before anything more is said, I have nothing to do with this marshmallows plans!" Toto denied in a hurrybr style="line-height: 21.3px;" /"Birdbrain's telling the truth" Muta said as he walked out the bureau, once he left, out of earshot, Toto and Baron turned to look at each otherbr style="line-height: 21.3px;" /"Could it be a relative?" Questioned Totobr style="line-height: 21.3px;" /"As far as I know, his relatives live far from here, it couldn't be one of them he's talking about" said Baron, deep in thoughtbr style="line-height: 21.3px;" /"Didn't he hint that you know the person? Indirectly?" Realized Toto a minute later, breaking the short silencebr style="line-height: 21.3px;" /"Hmm, it's a mystery and a surprise that will have to wait for Christmas day" concluded Baronbr style="line-height: 21.3px;" /_br style="line-height: 21.3px;" /The days went by quickly, without any problems for the bureau to solve which enabled Barons plans to unravel smoothly, although the weather attempted differently to cave in the bureau with snow but thanks to bureau magic, the refuge saw very little snow restricting Muta from turning up constantly as always. Baron began to dread what the Human World looked like from constant snow storms every night. The last day before Christmas day came: Christmas eve. Baron had been inspecting the bureau, making sure all the arrangements for the next day were sorted. This was mainly about Muta being fed well enough from food in the cupboard, and making sure he had his gifts for his friends prepared for the next day, though he couldn't prepare for this mystery guest even if he suspects he knows them, whoever they are. Muta and Toto were at each other as usual outside, neither of them minding the cold weather which the bureaus magic couldn't keep out of the refuge, but at least the bureau, Barons home, provided style="line-height: 21.3px;" /"Birdbrain distracted me again, where were we?" Muta came through the door of the bureau, mumbling slightly, Baron could only just make out what he style="line-height: 21.3px;" /"I think we're done for the day actually Muta, where's Toto?"br style="line-height: 21.3px;" /"I think he left the refuge, by now he's in the human world I guess" replied the catbr style="line-height: 21.3px;" /"I see, I assume you'll be going back too?" Asked Baronbr style="line-height: 21.3px;" /"Yeah, I got something I have to do" replied Muta. After Baron nodded in understanding, Muta left him to himself. Baron looked around the room and realized the kettle was boiling, and making a batch of his personal blend, he took the time to wonder what kind of cases the next year will bringbr style="line-height: 21.3px;" /"This year has been interesting but empty, maybe next year will bring more success" Baron said to himself as he sat down in his armchair, watching the liquid swirl in it's style="line-height: 21.3px;" /Snow began to start up again, though the bureaus magic kept it out, the sky turned darker with every minute, and night closing in meant it wouldn't be long until Christmas day...br style="line-height: 21.3px;" /_br style="line-height: 21.3px;" /Christmas day came quickly, and the sun crept up from the other side of the earth, warming the bureau and spreading light. Toto had returned some time after Baron took his original form, and took his own stone form on his pillar, but this morning neither of them woke up until a familiar white cat and his human guest came through the refuges gate. As if Baron sensed their presence, he created his own light show as he had done before to clients, stepped out the bureau to meet Muta and his guest. A very surprising style="line-height: 21.3px;" /"Muta, you brought-" Baron abruptly ended his sentence and started again "welcome back to the Bureau!"/div  
/div  
/div  
/div  
/div  
/div  
/div  
/div  
/div  
div class="v-InboxFooterContainer" style="line-height: 19.9936px;"  
div class="c-PageFooter Unselectable" style="line-height: 19.9936px; -webkit-user-select: none !important; position: absolute; left: 0px; right: 0px; bottom: 0px; height: 2.2em; z-index: 1; overflow: hidden;"  
table class="uxp_ftr_control t_fbgc" style="line-height: 17.1945px; clear: both; border-top-width: 1px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-color: #cccccc; width: 1555px; font-size: 12.1088px;" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"  
tbody style="line-height: 17.1945px;"  
tr style="line-height: 17.1945px;"  
td class="uxp_ftr_left t_lnksi" style="line-height: 17.1945px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top;"  
ul style="line-height: 17.1945px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 10px; list-style: none;"  
li style="line-height: 17.1945px; margin: 0px 0px 3px; float: left; padding: 5px 10px;"span id="uxp_ftr_link_trademark" style="line-height: 17.1945px; white-space: nowrap; color: #666666;"© 2015 Microsoft/span/li  
li style="line-height: 17.1945px; margin: 0px 0px 3px; float: left; padding: 5px 10px;"a id="uxp_ftr_link_legal" style="line-height: 17.1945px; font-weight: inherit; cursor: pointer; white-space: nowrap; color: #666666 !important;" tabindex="60" href=" fwlink/?LinkID=530144" target="_self"Terms/a/li  
li style="line-height: 17.1945px; margin: 0px 0px 3px; float: left; padding: 5px 10px;"a id="uxp_ftr_link_privacy" style="line-height: 17.1945px; font-weight: inherit; cursor: pointer; white-space: nowrap; color: #666666 !important;" tabindex="60" href=" fwlink/p/?LinkId=521839" target="_self"Priva/aa id="uxp_ftr_link_privacy" style="line-height: 17.1945px; font-weight: inherit; cursor: pointer; white-space: nowrap; color: #666666 !important;" tabindex="60" href=" fwlink/p/?LinkId=521839" target="_self"cy cookies/a/li  
li style="line-height: 17.1945px; margin: 0px 0px 3px; float: left; padding: 5px 10px;" data-jsv="#547_"a id="uxp_ftr_link_developers" style="line-height: 17.1945px; font-weight: inherit; cursor: pointer; white-space: nowrap; color: #666666 !important;" tabindex="60" href=" " target="_self"Developers/a/li  
li style="line-height: 17.1945px; margin: 0px 0px 3px; float: left; padding: 5px 10px;" data-jsv="/547_#548_"a style="line-height: 17.1945px; font-weight: inherit; cursor: pointer; white-space: nowrap; color: #666666 !important;" tabindex="60" href=" . ?subsection=12n=1378609008" target="_self"English (United Kingdom)/a/li  
/ul  
/td  
/tr  
/tbody  
/table  
/div  
/div  
/div 


	6. Episode Six: Welcome To The Bureau

**Episode Six: Welcome to the Bureau Once More**

"Muta, you brought-" Baron abruptly ended his sentence and started again "welcome back to the bureau!"

"Thank you Baron! I've missed all of you!" Replied seventeen year old ex-client Haru, wearing a red turtleneck woolly jumper, and light blue tight jeans, with black leather boots which reached up to bellow her knees. Her hair was only slightly longer than when she cut it days after her Cat Kingdom adventure so it still barely touched her shoulders.

"Well Muta, you don't cease to amaze me still" complimented Baron

"It's been a while, Baron" Haru mentioned

"Indeed, please step into the Bureau, miss Haru!" Offered Baron, his hat in front of him.

Inside the Bureau...

"One thing surely hasn't changed from last time, except maybe that pile of books on your desk Baron" Haru motioned towards the desk with her eyes, looking at the high pile of green books, Barons reports.

"The Bureau hasn't been busy enough lately to occupy our time, so I decided it was about time to go through old reports" explained Baron

"I see, even mine? That is if I have one..." asked Haru

"So Haru, are you not spending time with family? It IS Christmas day after all" questioned Baron out of his curiosity as to why Haru had decided to spend the day with the Bureau

"About that... Mum went abroad before the snowy weather started, and now she's stranded abroad until the snow melts away, as for my friends, they all have plans today, so I asked Muta if I could come here instead" explained the brunette

"Guess you know what my answer was" grunted Muta

"I see.. well you're always more than welcome here Haru!" Smiled Baron

"I also brought gifts for everyone" Haru presented a small red velvet bag, taking out a pot of seeds. "This is for you Toto, they're mulberry seeds"

"Thank you Haru!" Toto took the seeds with his beak, bowing in gratitude

"Next is... Muta" for her fat white friend, she brought out a box of fish crackers which she had loved since she was little.

"Hey thanks Chicky" Muta took the box from Haru and set it beside him on the big red chair he was sitting on

"Now for Baron" Haru smiled as she presented what looked like a handmade wooden box, opening, Baron took out a handmade wooden cane, the same shape and size as his old one, except this new one wasn't bent, and had been coated in vanish, making it shine under the Bureau's light.

"Haru, thank you very much" Baron gave the cane a swing in the middle of the room, testing it's movement against the air "it looks and moves better than the old one" he smiled brightly at Haru

"I felt a bit guilty that you bent your cane after last time, when you fought off those cat guards in the Cat Kingdom, so I made you a new one" Haru blushed with the two pairs of eyes focused on her.

"Where did Toto go?" Asked Haru. It wasn't clear to any of them when he had gone missing, but a second later he came back through the window with something in his beak

"Haru, we didn't expect you so this is all I could come up with" Toto dropped something into Haru's outstretched hand. It was a black feather, which looked to be one of Toto's, suspended in translucent glass case.

"Toto, thank you, it's beautiful!" She exclaimed

"Isn't that cute!" Mocked Muta

"I don't see you giving Haru a gift, and you're the only one who knew she was coming today" Toto countered quickly

"I brought her here" Muta replied briefly

"And I think it's a great gift, thank you Muta!" Haru quickly stepped in with an awkward smile. She saw Baron smile out of the corner of her eye, knowing that he knew she did that to kill the argument.

"Well Haru, I guess that leaves me" noted Baron as he walked over to his desk, new cane in hand. He opened a drawer and brought out a pure silver necklace with a snowflake made of real diamonds (as you should have read from One Member Short where he obtained such a mysterious valuable treasure), he walked over to Haru, presenting it in the palm of his hand.

"Baron, it's beautiful!" Gasped a taken back Haru, she took the necklace and clipped it on, letting the snowflake shine under the Bureau's Chandelier. "Baron thank you so much!" Haru laughed out of joy

"You're welcome Haru" Baron smiled at Haru who quickly blushed from the way she reacted to the gift, she tensed slightly and looked to the wooden floor in a daydream feeling.

The Bureau was lively into the evening, and the sky was pitch black. Baron, who first noticed this approached Haru whilst she was laughing with Toto in their own conversation, Muta once again as per usual eating cake but watching Baron walk over.

"Haru, it's getting quite late and quite dark outside, you still need to make your way home"

"Ah- I never really noticed that... I should get going then! Hehe..." Haru felt uneasy about going home in the dark with the streets alive with drunk alcoholics on Christmas day, and Baron heard this feeling in her voice

"Toto will accompany you home safely, I guarantee it" Baron said with confidence in his voice and looks

"Okay, I'll get ready to leave now" Haru crawled out of the Bureau's doors

"Toto will be with you in a minute" called Baron from inside, he fell into deep thought for a minute, staring into space

"Are you okay Baron?" Asked Toto beside him

"Can you ask Haru once she gets home if she would like to come by tomorrow, I have a feeling..." requested Baron

"Got it, don't worry, I'll look after her tonight" Toto said before hopping out of the top window/door, flying above Haru as she quickly said goodbye and left

"What are you thinking about Baron?" Asked Muta in a tired but bored voice

"... nothing important" replied Baron without hint of what he was feeling in his expression of his voice "Muta?"

"Yeah?"

"Merry Christmas"

"Yeah, and you"

"Thank you for your escort Toto!" Thanked Haru after running home with Toto following in silence. "Today was fun!" She said whilst stroking gently the necklace which under the blanket of darkness still managed to shine

"No problem Haru, anything for you. Which reminds me, Baron would like you to stop by tomorrow if you can as well!" Replied Toto, he was really fond of Haru, even more since she insulted Muta last time they met.

"Yeah? Why's that?" Questioned the Brunette as she stepped into her house, Toto flying in afterward as she gestured him in

"My guess is he would like to catch up with you, its been a couple of months so it's natural he would love to catch up with an old client such as yourself"

"Your guess? So you don't know either" Haru smiled awkwardly at her findings

"...yeah..." Toto replied bluntly "nevertheless, I would love to hear about your life after... that incident..."

"Oh don't remind me!" Groaned Haru "I'll see you all tomorrow morning"

"Got it! I'll tell Baron" Toto chuckled at her reaction to his Cat kingdom mention "we'll see you tomorrow then Haru!" Toto said before flying out of the already open front door, allowing Haru to shut the cold atmosphere out. She was alone at home. Haru walked into the living room and collapsed onto the sofa, thinking about what happened that day, she brought out the glass container with Toto's enormous feather inside- did he pluck this from his own coat when he flew out the Bureau briefly? "I hope it didn't hurt..." Haru shook her head. Talking to yourself Haru, great! She stood up and walked up to her room once she locked her front door, and turned all the ground floors lights off. Throwing her winter clothes off, she dressed herself in pyjamas, checked blue. For about half an hour she read in bed, a new book which Hiromi gave her, her best friend, for Christmas. At eleven thirty the brunette fell asleep, careful to turn her light off and bookmark her page less than a quarter of the way through this new ridiculously thick book- after all it would be almost impossible to locate the same page she left off again straightaway.

The night for Christmas brought a trouble free celebration across Japan to most including Haru and the Bureau, but elsewhere a dark mist began to form, a graveyard came to life as the night carried on, the mist formed quickly and thickly, and a lone dark figure stood in the centre, with a torturing smile on his face, he said into the dark night "Christmas sure was fun this year, but that's not where the fun shall begin" he disappeared, leaving a trail of blood, leading a few feet to this mysterious entities latest victim, a scrunched note in a clenched fist with the word "Phantom"


	7. Episode Seven: The Boy Who Part One

Episode Seven: The Boy Who Was Never There part one

Sometimes people go missing, cases as long as a decade could still go unsolved. A dead end. But what about people who have no family? When they go missing there is no lead. What about Kenji Rura? A five year old boy, a fifteen year old case. No family, no leads. No one knows who he is either, just that they haven't found him yet, dead or alive...

At the bureau...

"So you have decided to join us, Haru, good morning!" Greeted Baron as he awaited Haru's arrival through the gateway of the refuge, wearing a blue woollen dress, with a turtleneck, and thermal black tights to go with her black leather winter boots. Her hair was in a ponytail, though with it being so short a lot of it still stuck out, all the same it suited her slightly scatterbrain personality. She was also wearing the snowflake necklace Baron gave her.  
"Have you had any new case since mine?" Haru asked as she crawled through the doors "Not many, but yes we have had a few" replied the Baron whilst he was making his own personal blend of tea for Haru and himself. Toto didn't have the right taste buds for most of Barons blends, and Muta was out of the question not only because he was absent or late, but because he thought all of Barons blends tasted of boiled grass.  
"Where's Muta?" Asked the brunette as she took the miniature cup from Baron "I couldn't tell you I'm afraid, how often have you been seeing each other since the Cat kingdom?" Asked Baron "Hmmm, well I have been seeing him often at the crossroads, sleeping, but a while ago, maybe a couple of weeks, I'm sure you know he got hit by a truck. He came to see me to distract him and so he ended up inviting me here right before Christmas day" Haru explained "I see, so he was bothering you?" Asked Toto, Haru opened her mouth to answer but was interrupted by Muta coming through the door "Chicky is the only one who could have helped, unlike birdbrain, it works, you should try it!" Attacked Muta "Come on you two! Muta just needed to break out of his shell, that's all!" Haru aimed this sentence at Baron, who nodded in agreement, being a doctor himself as his training went smoothly- swordfighting weren't the only thing he excelled at.  
"Is it me or do I hear someone approaching?" Asked Baron to the listening trio "Ah it's the newspaper! It's a bit late come to think of it..." Toto said as he broke the argument first "You don't know it Haru, but every day the news comes to our door about all the animal kingdoms, as well as the human world, the one who delivers them is an Eagle called Toronto, a good friend of ours" explained Baron as he walked past Haru to the door, her following shortly afterward, as the last one out "Hey Baron, Muta, Toto. I've brought todays editions, just so you know, there's something interesting on page three of the human worlds news" hinted the Eagle, only half the size of Haru, a bit bigger than Toto.  
"I wonder what it is?" Wondered Haru "Who might this young lady be?" Questioned the Eagle from the top of Toto's pillar, though Toto didn't seem to mind as he perched on the Bureau's roof.  
"This is miss Haru, an ex-client and good friend of ours" introduced Baron "It's nice to meet you Toronto, may I see the paper?" Asked Haru, shaking slightly at the appearance of the great bird "Sure, catch!" He threw down the paper with his sharp beak, Haru catching it swiftly and flipping the page to the third "Read it out Chicky!" Called Muta from his chair impatiently "Okay so... the fifteen year old case opened up yesterday when a body was found near an old mine off the outskirts of Tokyo, the small stature suggested to suspecting police officers that this may be the body of Kenji Rura, who disappeared almost fifteen years ago, where police have no record of the childs life taking place" Haru continued "police are searching for further bodies but experienced no luck"  
"So they think they finally found him?" Asked Toto "I was two years old when this happened I guess, I have heard about it a few years ago come to think of it, they thought they found his body but it lead to another case which was solved instead..." Haru added quietly "Miss Haru, catch!" Haru caught the animal kingdom edition of news which the Eagle threw the second after his warning, accidentally dropping the previous paper which Baron narrowly dodged, the picture of the victim showing on the page.  
"We'll see you soon Toronto, thank you" Toto called as the Eagle continued his rounds, taking off and allowing Toto to take back his pillar, and have a better look at the article.  
"I do not recognize this person, I've lived long enough to know all about human cases when it comes to the missing persons unit, I have a good friend that works especially on this sort of thing, he can help us with this case" planned Baron "Ah- Baron!" Haru blurted out before thinking "Yes Haru?"  
"Can I come with you?" Asked Haru in a very quiet voice, so quiet Baron had to use his lipreading skills to work out what she said. "I don't know how much help I can be to you considering I'm just an ex-client but-"  
"I'd be honoured to have you join us, you'd be a great help Haru!" Complimented Baron "in fact, do you think there is a way you can get me to my friend unnoticed by anyone?"  
Haru smiled "yeah, but it would involve you being... well... wood again?"  
"I see, not a problem, Toto will investigate the crime scene whilst acting like a normal everyday crow, so he can get the closest look out of all of us, Muta will-"  
"Stay at the Bureau?" Asked the white cat "Yes, in case a client comes along in our absence"  
"What about us, where do you need to go?" Questioned the confused Haru, it's true that Baron didn't yet give her the location of this friend of his nor did he offer directions in order to reach him "I will need to use creation magic to set a map in your mind, I would regrettably be no use to you as a wooden statue" Baron said deep in thought. Haru crouched down so they were almost eye level, and Baron spoke again once Haru gave a nod of approval "this wont hurt at all Haru, bear with me for a moment" Baron said as he placed his hand on her forehead, passing magic through her. It felt warm and it was a good feeling for Haru, as she closed her eyes, she began to see a map form in her mind from Barons memory "It's so clear and accurate Baron, you have a great memory!" Gasped Haru in surprise "That comes with being a Creation, Toto is the same way"  
"I see, that's so cool!" Continued Haru. Once Baron finished, she opened her eyes and looked at Baron who waited for her to breath normally again for she was breathing heavily "I should have warned you before that you might feel slightly overwhelmed, I apologize" Baron rubbed the back of his head with his palm in slight embarrassment.  
_

The plan smoothly unravelled, with the Bureau splitting up for their own tasks, Baron appeared to people in the streets as just a wooden cat figurine, being held by a teenage girl, nothing would be suspicious with Toto either, except for the fact that he's a crow the size of a raven, which gained a small audience as he flew through Tokyo.  
"I know I'm getting close... just a little while longer Baron" Haru said quietly so no one would hear and assume she was talking to herself. Every step closer she felt her body temperature rise, and wondered how hot she would get when she got to their final destination. Her mind map was helpful too, she would just have to close her eyes and be given directions because of Baron's mysterious magic. Eventually they came to a building, and Baron, somehow, telepathically confirmed Haru that they had reached their destination, which Haru suspected because she felt quite hot in her winter attire. Opening the door to what appeared to be a research/science facility, Haru was greeted by a woman "good day to you, what can I- oh!" The woman abruptly stopped when she saw the figurine in Haru's hand, which she set on the reception desk standing upright. The Baron glowed and came to flesh and blood, bowing to the woman as if they knew each other "it's good to see you again Lilith, it's been a while" "Indeed Baron, I assume you're here to see the professor?" She asked "That's correct, meet Haru, a good friend of the Bureau!" Introduced Baron "Haru, this is Lilith, who was also an ex-client along with the friend we are here to see" Lilith nodded and gestured for the duo to follow "It's nice to meet you, so how long have you known each other?" Haru asked "Give or take a few years, some research of ours hit a dead end and we turned to Baron for help when we found out about him" Lilith explained "it was successful if I may say so myself!" She winked at Baron who was sitting on Haru's shoulder, so Haru assumed it was a highly classified project. When they finally reached the end of the hall, Lilith knocked and entered the room at the very end, Haru following in with Baron. "Hello Lilith- oh I see we have some guests" said the professor, he looked at both guests, recognizing Baron "I see you have come to visit me again Baron, and I think I know why you're here"  
"That's right, but first things first- professor this is Haru, Haru this is my friend Professor Yana" "Nice to meet you professor" said Haru, bowing slightly "Likewise" Yana was a tall man in his fifties, he had grey hair and wore a lab coat, with glasses on the bridge of his nose which made him look stern and serious as he looked over the top at Haru, who felt slightly nervous being around him. The feeling subsided when he looked back at Baron who had jumped onto the nearest table before the introductions. "Baron, you're here because you have heard about the body that has been found, it just so happens that they are bringing it to autopsy in this very building, on the lower ground floor, but here in the lab I should be able to take DNA into the missing persons database and see who our child is"  
"That is why we have come to you, I am suspicious of this missing person though, take a look at the picture Haru is holding" Baron insisted as Haru handed over the folded up article which she brought from the Bureau on Barons request, allowing the professor to inspect it carefully. A couple of seconds later, the professor noticed something and said "well, we have a situation on our hands it seems" 


	8. Episode Seven: The Boy Who Part Two

**Episode Seven: The Boy Who Was Never There part two**

"Well, we have a situation on our hands it seems"

Everyone fell silent after the professor spoke these words until Lilith spoke "you found something professor?"

"Indeed, all of you come in closer and look at this" everyone moved in on his words, Haru being the shortest stood at the front and Baron naturally would be next to her standing on the table. "What can you read when reading horizontal?"

"What I read earlier to the others at the Bureau..." asked a confused Haru

However it looked as though Baron knew what he was going to suggest next, although the professor spoke anyway "now read it vertically young lady, the second paragraph"

"I never got that far reading it, but okay" she read out an incredibly short sentence which she realized was made out of the first letters of words that wouldn't fit together grammatically. "Cat Office-Z" she paused for a minute, whilst silence filled the others around her, including the Baron who looked pale under his orange and beige fur. "Baron, what is this?"

"The Cat Bureau is also known as the Cat Office, and the initial Z is a bad sign" explained Baron with a tremor in his voice

"But what does it mean?" Asked Lilith

"... Haru I shouldn't have brought you here..." Baron continued after a short silence. "It's a trap"

Meanwhile at the crime scene...

Toto had flown as quickly as he could manage, getting there in no less than fifteen minutes. The crime scene was marked with police tape which said the usual 'do not enter' warning, though this didn't apply to non-humans like Toto, which is why he was the best for the role out of all the Bureau members. He perched in the tree shadowing the crime scene so he could hear clearly what two police officers were saying

"Isn't it strange how a body is unearthed after what may be fifteen years"

"You don't know it's our boy yet, though it will be equally as difficult to tell the parents of this body what became of their child"

"The one we're looking for has no family, there's no one really to tell the tragic news to"

"That's true..."

Toto knew the conversation weren't going to move onto information he would find relevant to the Bureau's self assigned mission, so he took flight to see if he missed anything, and began to hover over the crime scene to look for clues when he saw a distinctive mark which seemed awfully familiar. Bad news which you know Baron and Haru found out a short while ago.

"A logo imprinted in the earth like a crop circle, I should have noticed sooner!" Toto said, before hurriedly flying in the direction of the Barons assigned destination, straight into a trap.

In the lab...

"Baron what's going on, why are the professors evacuating the entire building?" Asked Haru impatiently

"You need to go too! It's not safe because you're not ready for this!" Replied Baron, sounding stressful although he meant to stay calm

"No, Baron, by your reaction, something is very wrong here and I want to help you! I don't know what you meant by 'not ready' exactly, but in response I say I'm not leaving you!" Haru's expression showed her stubbornness and Baron knew she would never listen, he also had no time to explain what was happening so he shortened it down as much as he could

"This person you know as Z is a trickster and an assassin from a Kingdom no one knows about, the reason this case has been going on for fifteen years is because there is no Kenji Rura. Z can also foresee future events, he knows we're here, because he trapped us"

"But Toto and Muta aren't here! The article said the Cat Office-" Haru was interrupted by something big and white running through the doors with a message

"Baron, Chicky, I saw the evacuation! It looks like you know who's behind this" said Muta

"Yes but how did you-" Haru started before being interrupted by Baron

"Foreseeing the future, he dropped a warning in the Bureau and Muta came to warn us, Z knew he would- Toto will also be directed here" Baron said quietly, deep in thought.

His train of thoughts was instantly disrupted by a powercut-or rather the light bulbs blew out and burned Harus arms which were bare from pulling up the sleeves of her dress- and a shadow-like figure stood in the doorway. Haru picked up a scalpel from behind her.

"My my Baron, you realized, too bad you were about an hour too late!"

"Z, you have trapped us after waiting fifteen years of making up a case that would never get solved- you could have finished things just by coming to the Bureau all those years ago, why now?" Asked Baron. Haru looked at her friend, not knowing what to do in this situation.

"I wanted to trap all of you, ALL of you" Z looked to Haru who realized what he meant from exaggerating the word 'all', looking to him in reaction to his harsh cold voice. Just looking at him sent shivers down Haru's spine, Baron looked at her with concern and confusion

"Haru has no involvement with our affairs concerning you, let her leave at once" demanded the figurine

"Such a request can not be accepted, nor can it now be forgotten" Z said with coolness in his voice, as he threw a knife between Haru and Baron, who were standing incredibly close to each other. The knife dug into the wall behind and the duo were split up, Z approached Haru, and once he got close enough Haru lashed out at him with every intention of stabbing him, only to be disarmed and to have her arm twisted behind her, their noses only an inch away from each others. Being this close to him and looking into his eyes lost Haru in darkness for a second before she came back to reality and flinched in fear, his eye colour was red, unnatural for any human being, which indicated he was far more dangerous than any killer she'd heard about in the context of news. He appeared to Haru only five inches taller, but it intimidated her.

"Let her go Z, I told you she has nothing to do with you!" Baron felt the fur on his neck rising with his temper.

"She does now..." he looked up and down at the girl he was restraining. Just a second later a black shadow flew through the window, shattering it, the shadow launched itself at Z but missed, however his restrain of Haru was broken, and she fell against the table from the force. Baron jumped onto her shoulder, gripping on her turtleneck

"Run!" He whispered in her ear. She still felt shaky but knew Toto was distracting Z for a reason, so she and Muta ran out of a different set of double doors, only to run in different directions. Baron told her to just keep running, "Muta will be fine"

The building was huge, and stood at twenty three floors, Haru found a map, running through a room, and picked it up with the same arm Baron sat on, causing him to almost fall off.

"Haru, go right!" Ordered Baron. Haru obeyed, but in a split second a knife struck Haru's arm as it tore past her, digging into the wall, Z was behind her. The jolt of surprise caused Baron to fall off, and without thinking, the duo split up in different directions.

"You can't run faster than me Haru" Z called after her. Without thinking once more, Haru ran up the stairs rather than down, which she would have kicked herself for if she had a second to spare. She was running out of breath as she almost reached the top floor, entering a lab with chemicals and gas taps, which gave her an idea. A crazy idea...

Once Baron found himself split up from Haru, he found himself running back to Toto, hoping no harm had come to his friend. He saw Toto, attempting to get up as he saw Baron approach, but failed as his wing appeared to be broken from contact with the wall.

"I should have realized he would do this, now Haru is in danger, I'm sorry I allowed you to get hurt too Toto" apologized Baron sympathetically

"Don't worry about me, go after Haru before Z catches her, who knows what he will do" warned Toto. This fact was true, Z was unpredictable at times, so with a nod, Baron ran off in the direction in which he came, and in the direction Haru ran in.

Searching quickly for one thing unique to a lab, Haru found the matches in a cupboard, and just in time because she heard Z's footsteps walking towards the lab she was in. Haru quickly turned on a couple of gas taps near the door she entered in, turning on eventually all of them apart from the ones at the other end of the room, and ducked under the table before he could notice her, though with his next words, she regretted not hiding quicker

"Come out, why must you hide, I wont kill you... yet" said the sinister Z, stepping into the room

"Come any closer, you may blow up" warned Haru. Knowing her warning weren't acknowledged, she took the chance to run out the second doors, light a match and throw it back in, causing an explosion which blasted half of the top floor out of the sky.

Upon hearing the explosion, Baron picked up the pace, almost colliding with Muta if his sense of hearing weren't so sharp, they both nodded to each other, because they both knew who must have caused it, and ran on up the stairs

"Birdbrain?"

"He's fine on his own"

"Got it"

Silence filled the air as they entered the exploded lab, no sign of life anywhere, it was a good sign though, it provided hope that Haru was still alive and had escaped before the explosion occured. Z was no where to be seen either.

"Do you hear something Muta? It sounds like it was coming from the room up ahead" Baron walked over the where there was the sound of movement. Metal. He and Muta looked around the doorframe to see Haru pushing debris metal off her. She was alive. Weak, but alive. Seeing Baron, she smiled

"I'm sure you're about to lecture me about causing explosions aren't you?" Asked Haru, leaning against the wall

"...no" answered Baron as he placed a gloved hand on Haru's cheek.

Outside in an ambulance...

"I'm fine, really!" Insisted Haru to the paramedic as they examined her burnt and slightly cut open arm

"Haru, you're not going anywhere until they fix you with stitches and bandages" said Yana sternly, then he smiled when she let them help "your visit didn't turn out the way we quite hoped did it?"

"Haha... how's To- I mean the crow?" She asked, cautious of her words around the paramedics

"The crows wing is being fixed right now, the cat is just fine and it doesn't look like your statue is broken" by statue, Yana meant Baron in his original form, standing next to Haru obviously listening to the conversation without attracting awkward attention

"I think we'll all be fine, including me" she said looking at the dapper cat as her mind echoed the last words said between them

 _"I'm sure you're going to lecture me about causing explosions aren't you?"_

 _"...no"_


	9. Episode Eight: Then Three Became Four

**Episode 8: Then Three Became Four**

The day after the incident, Haru was wearing a sling and a few other bandages, but it didn't stop her getting on with her morning routines, picking up the newspaper which came through the letterbox before she had woken up, she saw the research facility had reached front page news, most likely providing hers and both the professor's cover-up to what really happened the day before, when she turned around, she faced the familiar face of Baron standing on the bottom step of her staircase-for none of the Bureau made their way back to the Bureau. Haru managed to also persuade vets to let her look after her bird friend once they fixed his wing up for a slow healing process.

"Perhaps you shouldn't strain yourself today, Haru?" Baron intended this not as a question to answer but an order for the sake of Haru's health.

"I'm fine, come on, I'll read to you over breakfast, although..." she picked up Baron in her pause and then continued "it looks like only me and Muta can fulfil the meaning of breakfast"

"Professor Yana commented on a gas leak which reacted with an ignited match on the top floor, though no serious injuries were obtained, a thorough investigation will be launched into whether or not this is a coincidental timing with the unearthing of a body, suspected to be the deceased body of Kenji Rura who was reported missing fifteen years ago, but announced cold case until yesterday." Haru read aloud to the listening trio "minor injuries... haha..." she looked at her arms and the state they were in

"Haru, why did you insist on staying? And why did you blow up half of the top floor whilst being there?" Asked Toto

"I wanted to help but... maybe I just got in the way, I couldn't run any further so I thought because I was in a lab I'd-"

"Blow yourself up? Your life is far too valuable for these actions Haru, promise me you'll never do this again" said Baron, calmly and seriously

"Why are you saying things like that, before you said "you're not ready for this", is something going on?" Asked Haru

"Nothing is 'going on' right now... you just rest today Haru, you too Toto" Baron stood up and jumped off the table, walking out the room with Muta following behind

"Don't worry, I don't know what's going on either Haru" admitted Toto

"Hm, I see..."

"You want to recruit Chicky don't you?" Asked Muta as sat down next to Baron on the top step of the staircase

"She has great potential, and I'd rather say have her join the Bureau than make it sound like we're preparing for a war"

"I get it, it would be great to have a human on our team, especially with a big spirit like hers"

"What I'm confused and worried about is what Z said about Haru, as if he knew her, somehow I think he has his sights set on her now and we must protect her at all costs"

"What if he knows she'll join us?" Asked Muta

"Hmm..." Baron fell into his train of thoughts again as usual

Both Haru and Toto jumped at a familiar melody to Haru, as she flipped up her phone and saw a name calling her, quickly she answered it "Mum! How are you?"

"I should be asking about you, I know what happened"

"I'm fine really, I was visiting a scientist friend on the wrong day, that's all!"

"Hmm, well would it be the wrong time to fly in?"

"You're coming back today? I can't wait to see you!"

"I'll make up to you for making you spend Christmas alone!"

"I stayed with some friends, so I weren't really lonely, though I would have loved for you to be here"

"Once again, I'm sorry! I didn't expect the snow, I don't think anyone did"

"I certainly didn't" Haru laughed awkwardly. Muta and Baron joined the duo at this moment and Toto motioned for them to be quiet

"I'll be home by evening today, I'll make up for my absence"

"I'll see you when you come home then" the phone hung up and Haru looked at Baron who seemed to have gotten the message

"I suppose we shouldn't stay long, at the same time I'll need an alternate way to get back to the Bureau" Baron looked at Toto, who knew the situation they were in

Well I can take care of Toto as long as he doesn't open his break while mum's around, and I could-"

"Take me back the same way you brought me out? No you should stay here and wait your mother's arrival, Muta however, can do that?" Baron looked at Muta

"Alright, alright, I'll just be your transport"

"Thank you Muta"

"Haru look at you!"

"I'm fine, it's not as bad as it looks!" Haru claimed, although her mother Naoka was far less than convinced

"I never knew you had a scientist friend?"

"Yeah he came to my school for a science lesson one day and we've been staying in contact!" Haru used what she read in the article so Naoka would be convinced easily. "Also there's that crow that was found in the building, is it okay if I look after him until his wing is fixed?"

"If he doesn't bite, then I guess that's fine, but you should be more careful in future! Do you hear me?" Asked Naoka, Haru had never seen such a serious expression on her face

"Er... yes?"

"HARU!"

"I hear you!" Haru laughed, once the matter was solved she dashed up to her room where Toto was waiting

"Is everything fine between the two of you?" Asked Toto, it seemed that he heard the entire conversation

"So you heard... Yeah everything's fine! How long do you think it'll be before you can fly again?"

"It was only a fracture, I can fly already but it's wise not to fly too much while I'm healing" Toto reassured the brunette, who sighed with relief. "And you?"

"It's only one arm, I have another" Haru joked, then continued "we'll both be fine"

"Then we will both go and see Baron tomorrow" declared the crow "it's getting late"

Meanwhile in the Bureau...

"That's the report done for this incident, hopefully the professors aren't put off researching the identity of this new victim, it may lead to a new case" concluded Baron as he shut the green book, and set it aside. Muta was watching him opposite in the largest sofa in the Baron's home, and silence lingered until Muta spoke

"I bet you Chicky and Birdbrain will come be tomorrow, is that when you'll-"

"Yes, today's events have proven that Haru is more than capable, but she also will need our protection" said Baron

"Yeah, why don't I believe that? She's a lot bigger than you" teased Muta

"There is also you and Toto"

"So I look like a bodyguard to you?" Muta groaned at the thought of being Renaldo Moon, notorious criminal, protecting a teenage girl like Haru. The night crept in quickly, as their conversation carried on to different topics (though mainly about Baron trying to convince Muta that he knows what's best)

The next day...

Haru and Toto made their way to the Bureau, Toto perched on Haru's shoulder as she insisted, though walking through the busy streets near the crossroads gave them both a small audience due to Toto's unusual size, and how tame he appeared because he was with Haru. Toto felt just a tiny bit uncomfortable about the number of eyes looking in his direction, but couldn't say anything to indicate he was a crow that could talk, Haru noticed this

"Don't worry, just try and ignore them, we're almost at the first alleyway" said Haru quietly. Muta weren't at the crossroads, so the duo assumed he was already at the Bureau, possibly expecting them along with Baron. Jumping over walls and a couple of roofs like Haru did the last couple of times raised a question from Toto

"Why are you using this route Haru?" She froze in her tracks, did she go the wrong way? "There's an easier way to get there you know"

"No I don't know, this is the route-"

"Fatso takes? He does that to people, why he did it more than once to you I don't know."

"You can show me later then, we're almost there" Toto felt Haru's temper rising on the thought of Muta giving her a huge unnecessary work out all this time, and so got ready to fly into his pillar once they got to the Bureau. Haru walked through the gateway, and Toto flew when he spotted Muta sitting on his chair, knowing what was going to happen next.

"Oh hey Chi-" Muta began before being interrupted by the hold of the scruff of his neck, he faced an angry Haru

"You've been leading me down a difficult route all this time! I should have suspected something sooner!" Shouted Haru. Baron must have heard this because he came running out to see what was happening

"Haru! What's going on?" Baron exclaimed. His voice broke Haru from her hold which wasn't easy considering she was right handed and her right arm was unusable, she stood up straight, still mad at what she had been told. Toto had his usable wing cover his beak, and Baron knew he was trying to hide a laugh.

"Toto just told me that Muta had been unnecessarily leading me on one of the hardest routes to get here, and more than once!"

"I see, Muta, this side of you should stop before you... get hurt" Baron meant this by how Haru attacked the white cat upon entering the refuge, but although his words were serious, he was trying to hold back laughter himself, which caused Haru to blush and giggle for a few seconds

"Toto is going to show me a different route on our way out, so just this once I'll forgive you Muta" Haru said bluntly

"Haru, come inside the Bureau" Baron offered unconditionally. Today Haru was wearing a white button up shirt with long sleeves, probably to cover up her injuries from the public, as well as black denim jeans and open shoes with a slight heel on the bottom. Once they got inside the Bureau, they all day in their usual places, Haru sat on the wooden chest, Toto on the balcony above her, Muta on the sofa facing away from the door, with Baron standing opposite, leaning on his desk.

"So Baron, I guess you've been expecting us?" Asked Haru

"Not like this but basically yeah" answered Muta

"It was your fault in the first place Muta!" Toto said, defending Haru

"Now then, let's get down to business" started Baron "Haru, I've been meaning to ask you how school has been going?"

"My grades are improving according to sensei, though I do still struggle to pay attention in class- considering that I almost married a cat, you see..." Haru admitted slowly

"I see, then I would like to offer my help in your studies" offered Baron.

"Oh! I see... that would be just the best Baron! It's there a... catch?" Asked Haru suspecting something behind Baron's kindness. It's not like he was never kind, it's just this level of kindness towards Haru which threw her attention off

"There is no catch, although I have an offer to make which doesn't determine the outcome of my previous offer" continued Baron

"Go on..."

"The Bureau might begin to struggle with cases if they involve the human world or humanity in any way, so we would be honoured to have you join the Bureau team" Baron requested. Haru almost lost her balance as he finished, though she was sitting down which shows how unexpected this was to her, Baron continued. "I have been considering your educational life, and decided no matter what your answer will be, I will help you to get the best grades you can get"

"Then it's only fair that I can help you all out too!" Haru replied

Toto spoke "so that means..."

"You're a part of the team now Chicky!" Celebrated Muta

"... yes" was the final answer that Haru gave before they all slid into a conversation about each others lives, Muta's eating habits, Toto and his mulberries, Haru and her life after her Cat Kingdom adventure, and of course, Baron and his new cane.

My very first 'author's note', unfortunately this episode may not have been worth reading, or maybe it was to find that Haru decided join the Bureau, but in the end there has been no case this episode but there will be in the next. Reviews would be great support, and I'm always looking for ideas for future episodes and advice to better writing ^_^


	10. Episode Nine: Curiousity part one

"Haru, time to get up, school begins again today" called Naoka from the bottom floor of the Yoshioka household. Haru almost straightaway jumped out of bed at this alarming news, she had no idea and for the first time in nearly three months, she would turn up late.

"Wa! I'm up! I'm up! I'm going to be late!" She cried. She was now on her own since Toto had found himself fit enough to go back to work in the Bureau, although work was scarce and minor since the incident with Z a week ago, it was the start of January and Haru quickly had to get dressed for school, she at this time only had to wear soft bandages on each arm rather than continue with the annoying sling on her right arm.

"I'm almost ready... should I wear my hair up or down?" She asked herself, after a few seconds she decided it was still cold outside so she kept it down to keep her neck warm. She knew this was a good decision from the second she stepped outside and hit the cold air. It was still difficult to believe she had just become a member of the Cat Bureau, she weren't even a Cat or a Creation, just a human teenager who was going to be late to school if she didn't pick up the pace.

"Haru!" Called the familiar voice of her best friend Hiromi running up behind her "I guess you slept in too Haru?"

"You can hardly blame me for staying in holiday schedule up until now, you feel the same way too" Haru replied

"Yeah, I guess you're right!" They both continued their conversation about what they did for their Christmas holidays until they got to school. Though when it was Haru's turn to tell her story, it seemed that she only had a choice to resort to lying so Hiromi didn't find out about the Cat Bureau, although she knew about the research facility incident, in fact the whole school knew about it and Haru wasn't looking forward to a question-and-answer session.

Walking through the corridors made the place seem likely the the girls, especially as they have had a holiday of not being around so many people, be it family or friends. It didn't take long for Haru to be bumped by someone she had never seen before, a boy about a head taller than her, who looked in his twenties with blue eyes and black hair. It didn't look like he realized he had bumped her, but she wasn't going to attract attention from anyone, not today. It was strange though, he felt icy cold and his expression was that of a depressed person, but he wasn't a ghost or hallucination otherwise Haru wouldn't have felt a solid bump and react by stammering backwards into Hiromi who saw what happened, knowing what Haru wants to happen by reading her expression told Hiromi not to say anything to the boy. So they just continued walking to lessons, on time.

At the Bureau...

"I do not see why there is such an issue, Muta" said Baron, sitting at his desk, looking Muta in the eyes as he sat opposite with his arms folded

"I'm not going back there, they'll recognize me!" Complained Muta

"I'm sure the current king will have forgiven you" persuaded Baron

"Forget it!" Snapped Muta. The Bureau early in the morning received a letter from the king of the Cat Kingdom, King Lune, about the rise of crimes being committed too close to the palace for his liking-the letter requesting a new bodyguard led to Baron trying to persuade Muta that he is the only one up for the job.

"It's only temporary Muta, you won't have difficulty switching between that and the Bureau's work, besides we have an addition to the team now, we can handle our part too" continued Baron

"What the walking marshmallow is trying to say is he's terrified of the retired king, who is much smaller than he is" mocked Toto

"Say that again chicken wings! Fine, I'll go! You owe me Baron"

"You'll be fine Muta" guaranteed Baron

"I'll go tell Haru the news" Toto declared

In the school...

"Lesson's finally over!" Hiromi said, falling back in her chair.

"You can't wait to watch Tsuge's game today..." Haru laughed. Looking to the door, leading to the corridor, she saw the same boy walk past, who bumped into her earlier. This time he looked at her, as if he sensed her attention on him, but his expression didn't change from earlier, Haru decided to dismiss it even if it were strange. Walking outside alone, she instantly recognized Toto waiting for her. Upon seeing her he flew over and landed on her raised arm.

"Thought you weren't supposed to be flying yet?" Haru scolded

"Not too much Haru, you know that" Toto said, defending himself

"So what's going on? Is there a new case?"

"No, in fact you won't be seeing Muta all that often, I just came to warn you"

"What do you mean?" She asked

"He is being recruited by the Cat King as a temporary security Cat Guard, the number of crimes had risen too close to the palace and Lune would rather Muta flatten criminals" he laughed

"I see, so it's just Baron, you-"

"And you, Haru"

"School's finished today, let's go to the Bureau! I-" Haru stopped when she saw the boy watching her go red for being seen talking to a crow as if she were talking to a human, unusually, he walked back into school as if it were normal

"Haru, do you know him?"

"The scary thing is, I don't" she replied

At the Bureau...

"So Muta, did I hear right?" Asked Haru to the stubborn white cat

"Chicky, you're annoying" Muta replied, boredom and slight annoyance in his voice, well maybe a lot. The entire team were gathered at the Bureau, although Baron may be regretting the fact that he didn't warn Haru beforehand not to mention anything to Muta

"We should at least take a visit to the Kingdom and see if there are any cases for the Bureau, such as the dramatic increase of crimes so close to the improving Kingdom, since Lune took the throne it had been peaceful until we started hearing about this" Baron declared "Toto, you can decide if you want to come this time, and as for Haru..."

"I know I turned into a cat last time, but you said I had to believe in myself" she replied

"And do you now?"

"Not really, I feel worse than before but I guess that's with almost becoming an adult, I can handle it though" Haru sighed as she looked away from the watching eyes

"Hmm... then I may have something for you!" Baron suggested. "This bracelet allows a human being to entire worlds entirely different to their own, it has Bureau magic I couldn't begin to explain, not even to Toto; wear this and you'll be just fine Haru" explained Baron as he brought out a human sized bracelet from a hidden room behind his bookcase, which hid many others- the Bureau was a big place but Haru didn't quite expect it to appear this much bigger on the inside than the out, even with Bureau magic.

The bracelet itself was plain black but had a stone which felt warm to touch and glowed in red, yellow and orange, like fire. There was another stone with a use she didn't know yet. Once she clipped it on securely, the Bureau was set to leave but Haru had just one question

"How do we get back there anyway, that annoying Natoru isn't here..." noted Haru

"Upon receiving the letter, King Lune gave a special stone for getting there" explained Toto, whilst Baron revealed the stone as the second one on Haru's bracelet, glowing lilac and green as the colours for the Cat Kingdom

"And to get back?" Asked Haru

"The same way" finished Baron "whatever you do, do not lose that Haru! Not only will we need a different means to go back and forth, but you may lose half of your humanity again"

"Got it!" Haru answered

"Then let's go already!" Complained Muta from behind Baron

Haru held up her bracelet, touching it with her other hand; light flowed out and Haru assumed it was her touch that activated it when held above her height, something to keep in mind for the future. The light created a portal and once Haru picked up courage, she followed the three other members who entered before her.

Entering the Cat Kingdom was rough, and Haru landed badly in a field of cat tail plants, the one plant she was allergic to. Sneezing instantly, she was pulled up by someone behind her, much to her surprise. Baron.

"Haru, am I to understand you're allergic to this plant?"

"Yeah but I'll be fine, where's the castle?" She asked him

"Baron, Haru, it's over there!" Toto called from above, his talons pointing in the direction he was referring to as seeing the palace in. Muta came up behind everyone, still looking as dull as he had the moment he heard the request from Baron reading out the letter.

"Let's just get it over with" he said

"There you are, Miss Haru, Mr Baron!" Called the familiar voice of Natoru, running up the foursome. "There you are, the king's waiting in the castle! Come!"

"Please just call me Baron" he replied with a subtle bow to the Cat much shorter than him

"Of course, come on!" Natoru smiled whilst pulling Haru's hand. She eventually gave up resisting and walked along side Natoru, much to his delight (for he was quite fond of her). Once they got inside the castle, past security thanks to Natoru, Lune greeted them and gestured them to follow him

"It's been a while, how have you all been?" Lune asked the listening audience

"The Bureau has seen success in their cases lately, all is well" Baron answered on behalf of Toto and himself

"I'm still a criminal here" Muta said, walking behind

"There is no need to worry about that, you are forgiven" Lune smiled

"That's why you weren't chased of by the guards when we came outside the castle" Haru suggested

"Haru, I'm surprised to see you here most of all, what brings you to the kingdom of Cats?" Lune asked the brunette, he was walking on the opposite side of Haru whereas Natoru was still next to her; Baron and Muta, as well as a few of the guards were walking behind with Toto flying a few metres above following them. He wasn't especially comfortable being in the Kingdom of Cats, which was why he stayed behind in the human world the last time, though this time Lune had reassured Toto that he would be safe in the palace, despite the occasional low roof which suppressed his ability to fly safely.

"I... er you see..." when Baron saw her get nervous and stutter, he stepped in to answer for her

"Haru has joined the Bureau team on my request"

"Now you can take up cases in the human world, am I correct?" Lune asked, mostly to Baron who led the team

"That's not entirely the reason, but it is part" Baron confessed, smiling to Haru who was smiling back at his answer.

"Miss Haru! It's so good to see you again!" Exclaimed Yuki, now queen of the Kingdom of Cats

"How have you been, Yuki?" Haru asked. It had been Yuki who helped her out before, guiding her to the Cat Bureau when she fell into an unwanted engagement with Lune himself, without this white cat, Haru wouldn't have met the Bureau, and might have been trapped in the Cat kingdom forever.

"Not as good as I have been before I saw you here" Yuki admitted

"Don't worry, I wont change!" Haru said whilst showing her the bracelet

"That's good to know, that's not the only reason though..." Yuki said, it was clear to Haru what she meant by this, and they both let a smile come to their faces, confusing Muta and Toto

"There are kittens, you two! I wouldn't have expected Toto to understand but you Muta?" Haru laughed

"Do I look like I would understand what you're talking about Chicky?!" Muta said in an irritated manner

"I guess not" Yuki answered

"Though I'm afraid they aren't here, being that I knew you'd all be coming, I didn't want too much stress on them, they're only young" Lune explained, both Baron and Haru nodded, and Toto didn't understand what the conversation was about anymore

"Now then, there is still a reason we came here if you don't mind your majesty?" Requested Baron, who had been the quietest in the room at the time, excluding the guards at every door. Lune solemnly nodded, leading Baron, Haru and Muta into a more private area, Toto weren't there because it would distract Muta.

Whether or not Baron decides to take on the upcoming case would determine the future of the team, but will he make the right decision?


	11. Episode Nine:Curiosity part two

Episode nine: Curiosity Doesn't Kill the Cat part two

"The dramatic increase of crime has nothing to do with the Kingdom being handed over to me, since it would have started a lot sooner than it has if it did, I can't figure out how they all link either but I can't endanger the innocent lives in this Kingdom and certainly not the lives of Yuki and my children" Lune explained, the stress in his voice showing more and more as he spoke

"I see, so you would like us to establish a link in all of these crimes to figure out if you are indeed the target?" Baron asked

"Correct, I would deeply appreciate if you dedicate some of your time for the safety of this Kingdoms inhabitants, even though time as a cat knows it is precious" Lune bowed his head

"Don't worry, with Muta here, you'll be even safer!" Haru enthusiastically said, trying to lift up spirits as much as she can

"Thank you for your assistance Muta" Lune thanked the white cat

"Hmph" Muta grunted

"At any rate, would you mind donating any written reports regarding these crimes to the Bureau?" Baron asked

"Well I would be obstructing your investigation if I didn't" Lune answered trying to sound cheerful but obviously failing

"Muta, if you will stay here?" Baron hinted

"Yeah, whatever"

In the Bureau...

"Now then, Haru I don't suppose you can read cat hieroglyphics?" Baron asked, even though he knew the answer that a human being would normally give

"It can't be that difficult! Let's see..." she picked up a report at random and flipped it open, oblivious to a smile from Baron as he successfully hid it from her. He continued reading whilst Haru sat on his armchair, her back to him, trying to make out what each symbol meant. Eventually she lost the will to read on and stood up slamming the book shut in frustration which startled Baron to the point where he looked up from his lost in time and space state of mind, and silently watched Haru place the book gently on his desk in front of him, sort of in an apologetic manner as she knew she distracted him over her helplessness. He smiled

"One day Haru, I'll teach you to read and speak many languages, not just entirely different worlds from your own, I can teach you German if you wish?" Baron offered

"I think I should just stick to my English studies before German but I would like to learn Cat and Bird and others like that, I need to right?" Haru suggested

"It would be wise if I'm not there to translate a message you might find of importance in a case"

"I suppose I should be getting home now, it's getting dark, goodnight Baron" she placed her hand on his hand, resting on the desk with an open book in it, a few seconds before leaving once he replied

"Goodnight Haru" once she left, Baron was on his own, where Toto had already hung up for the day. He couldn't make any links, even if he could read Cat Hieroglyphics fluently, if he weren't patient, he would have given up long ago, even now he was thinking of leaving it for the night so he just did. Once he had sorted out the read reports to the unread reports, he walked over to his usual spot at the window and changed back to his wooden state, waiting for his brilliant mind to create a possible lead. At this point in time, with the Bureau racing against the clock, any ideas would be needed.

In the Cat Kingdom, Muta was on guard, bored out of his wits just guarding the palace against a threat that wasn't active. He had often seen Lune walking past him entering and exiting different rooms irritably, only on the eleventh time Lune passed, Muta decided once and for all to speak

"Why don't you just relax? Baron can solve this" Muta asked the King

"I just hate not understanding what's going on here, I think it's strange, Baron thinks it's strange-"

"We all do, I know that but..." Muta looked away from Lune, to nothing in particular before continuing. "All we can do now is wait for the answer"

"You are right Muta" Lune said whilst standing up as straight as he could "I really shouldn't shirk my responsibilities as King by intervening at the wrong moment, that said, I will wait for the rest of the Bureau to find what I couldn't" he concluded

"...isn't that what I've been telling you all along here?" Muta said before Lune smiled at his reply, then returning to the main hall where Yuki and the kittens were.

Muta then heard a noise, around two minutes after he found himself alone again. Alone. He investigated the location in which he heard the noise, only to realize no other guard around him heard, then again he weren't a normal cat and his sense of hearing was higher than theirs. He found himself witness to a sword fight, unofficial and deadly, taking place in the small field surrounded by the innocent lives put in grave danger at this very moment. One of the two cats were darker than Lune, almost matt black, he had a leather spiky collar on so he was either a human's pet, or just liked wearing a collar. He also had green eyes darker than Baron's. The other cat was one of the guards Muta recognized as Kou, a skilled swordfighter and one of Lune's army of soldiers, wearing a red uniform to distinguish him from any other cat in the area.

Muta hid, not because he was scared, he would have been able to defeat this enemy easily, but he hid merely because observing the incident would prove even more effective to Baron's investigation. Despite anything, Kou could handle it, and Muta was confident of that: he was rather to far away to hear anything however, which meant he would have to bring Kou to the Cat Bureau to explain his side of the story, that is if he survives this encounter! The sword fight began after an already deadly staring contest.

The next morning...

The day was finally Saturday, the day students recognize as the best day of the week, for there was no school. Haru woke up early anyway, because she intended to make her way to the Bureau to find out if Baron and Toto have found anything yet, and to see if Muta was there, tired of being a guard already. Because Haru knew that's the kind of cat Muta is. Well, by the time she got to the Bureau, that knowledge of Muta's personality was slightly misjudged as she really just naturally assumed. She came through the arch and saw the entire Bureau team standing outside; Baron, Toto, as well as Muta and a cat she had never met before, though he did seem vaguely familiar.

"Haru, good morning, we may have a new lead, in fact you arrived just in time!" Baron explained "you do not know Kou personally but he was one of the guards of King Lune whom was there the last time in the tower after it collapsed"

"I thought I recognized you! My name's Haru"

"It's a pleasure to meet you miss Haru, I have been instructed to accompany Muta here to tell my side of a story regarding my involvement with the most recent crime" Kou said

"Well then, we should all go inside the Bureau" Toto suggested, met by various nods in agreement. First Muta headed into the Bureau, then Kou, then Baron, Haru and last but not least Toto via the balcony window. Once everyone had settled, everyone in their usual seating places with the exception of Baron standing by his desk and Kou sitting in one of the small armchairs (this is why Haru often, during her time as a Bureau member, wanted to be Baron's size).

"Now then, would you like to start from the beginning?" Baron asked in an interview like manner

"Yes, it started when I was on my patrol of the citizens outside the castle, when a cat no one had seen before drew out his sword the moment I became suspicious" Kou explained "after all, he was not from the area I know so well"

"And that's when I heard a noise and came running to see you about to cat fight" Muta interjected

"Correct, I hadn't told you before but the noise you heard was probably when he drew his sword into the ground once I had narrowly avoided his strike"

"These crimes are strange, there is no link between any of them!" Toto exclaimed

"The criminal got away once he threw dust in my eyes from the dry soil on the ground beneath us, which temporarily blinded all the innocents and myself"

"I was too far away to be able to see through the dust cloud, we lost him" Muta groaned, knowing he could have done something about it

"Isn't that just a little bit suspicious?" Haru asked after being the most silent individual in the room

"Haru, what are you thinking about?" Toto asked, the others were looking at Haru with confusion on their faces, even the smart Baron

"No one really runs away from a sword fight the way it sounds like he did, not only that but..." She stopped

"Haru?" Baron looked her in the eyes

"It weren't exactly the most subtle way of staying unnoticed, once Kou was even just a little suspicious, he didn't try to divert Kou's attention"

"I see now, it's either he isn't a very smart enemy or..." Baron looked from one person to the next, ending with Kou "he is warning the palace not to intervene with the enemies' plans"

"Baron, Kou and I will continue our guarding, and I'll make sure I catch someone next time" Muta pledged

"Thank you Muta, good luck to both of you" Baron said. "Kou, I need you to describe this cat to us, please"

"He has dark green eyes, black fur and a collar I think is made out of leather with shiny silver spikes all around it"

"Thank you for your help" Baron said appreciably

"Hmm, Toto and Haru, whilst you're in the human world I'd like you to keep a sharp eye out for this cat if he belongs to someone who lives near Haru"

"Near enough to watch his movements" Haru said

"Near enough to be in danger yourself, especially if he finds out you're associated with the Bureau. He knows by now we're on his case, I'm sure of it" Baron warned

"I wont blow my cover, I'll try not to anyway" Haru promised

"For tonight I think I will stay here rather than go out and search in the dark, Haru should be going too otherwise it will be unsafe with the dim light conditions" Toto said

"Hmm okay, I have been here all day... trying to sketch that cat took hours..."

"You are a great artist Haru, thank you for trying your best, even Muta and Kou guaranteed it was a perfect match to his identity"

On the way home, Haru felt herself getting red from the compliment that Baron gave her for her art skills, which she weren't confident about still, but it gave her a glimmer of hope that she could get somewhere with art after all. After all, since the Cat Kingdom marriage incident, she had found that the world inspires her, being filled with magic no one knows about, that makes the world turn with a beautiful sunrise and sunset on a great day. Haru felt that only a handful of people know this, so it's her job to capture it all in canvas and at the tip of her paintbrush.

With the sun fully hidden from Japan, shining upon the rest of the world, darkness took it's place without slowing down for the street lamps to turn on, leaving Haru in utter darkness for a few minutes before looking up from the ground she trod carefully, trying not to trip up under the blanket of darkness, where she saw a shadow figure for a second which vanished before she could focus on it properly. Maybe she was just imagining things, so she shrugged it off, but the one thing she couldn't shake was a feeling she felt since leaving the alleyways into the streets. The feeling someone was watching her.


	12. Episode Ten: A Ghostly Presence part one

Episode Ten: A Ghostly Presence part one

"Hiromi, it's simple geography!" Haru complained after explaining for the fourth time whilst on a break in between lessons about landlocked counties. The two were outside on a bench

"All these countries confuse me Haru, don't tell me you understand it!" Hiromi fired back "are we 'landlocked'"

"We're an island, of course not!" Haru said with an awkward laugh

"Haru, don't look but behind you is that guy who bumped into you the other day" Hiromi warned. "He's watching you"

"I honestly don't know him Hiromi, but I know I felt a weird energy this whole time"

"You never said... anyway do you think he's a ghost?!" Hiromi's face clouded over with suspicion and slight fear. Haru decided to laugh it off, though she did feel uneasy about this

"Honestly Hiromi, will it make you feel better if I spoke to him?" She asked

"I don't know, that's up to you Haru, I just don't want this guy to end up stalking you in public"

"Don't worry, I'll sort it out be the end of the week!" Haru said with confidence

Once the students finished lessons for the day, Haru naturally assumed that the boy would be near her present location, her classroom. So splitting with Hiromi who had to head straight home, she went about her usual routine of being the last out of her class room. Walking through the empty school corridor, she turned a corner and felt the familiar presence she did when the boy bumped into her, so she turned around to see him at the corner she turned at

"Thought I would bump into you again at some point," she told him, though she was met with silence, so she continued "I know you were watching me earlier, my friend noticed"

"You're Haru Yoshioka, part of the Cat Bureau" he said, with a straight emotionless facial expression

"Wait a minute! How could you know that? Who are you?" She asked in shock at his words, she did stumble back a bit only to be saved by the wall behind her

"I hear voices, my friends telling me everything about everyone"

"There's no way, no one can tell you everything about a person if it's not the person themselves, and we have never spoken to each other before" she said so quietly it was almost a whisper. Haru couldn't explain the shock that this boy might come to harm a person with knowledge about their history, especially while she had these memories of Baron, Toto and Muta- who was this boy?! She was looking down whilst thinking about this, and when she looked up he had disappeared, at the same moment a shiver was sent down her spine, and she found herself alone in an empty school.

"At least tell me your name..." She softly said to the thin air as if he could hear her, if he knew this much about her, it wouldn't be surprising if he did. Haru took this as an opportunity to leave the building and head home, after all the sun had gone down, and she weren't going to visit the Bureau until tomorrow. Another shiver find its way down her spine at the thought of the Bureau, how much danger it could be in because of this boy's voices in his head: heading out of the building, she walked down the unusually busy streets to see a fireworks display take part in a local park, operated by boys whom Haru recognized as students from her school, Machida was one of them, and he saw Haru in the crowd almost straightaway as she noticed him

"Haru, come and join in" he offered

"I hardly think you have permission to do this Machida" Haru warned as she walked up to the group

"These are perfectly safe, stand by that lamppost when we launch them though, basic safety procedures" he smiled to the brunette who still had the stubborn look on her face that she didn't think it was a good idea this close to the crossroads and the traffic there

"I'm going home, just don't set fire to anything! I'm not dragging you out" Haru threatened with a slight mocking tone in her voice. Once she said this, she walked away from the park, away from the crossroads, and towards her home.

"Did you just feel something Baron? A shiver?" Toto asked out of an unusual silence between him and the cat figurine who was sitting at his desk, quill in hand and a report in front of him

"Hmm so you felt it too, something is wrong here, somewhere in the human world, someone is responsible," Baron said standing up and looking at the time set on his grandfather clock "and they know about the Bureau"

"Do you think Haru had something to do with it?" Toto asked, not out of suspicion, but out of worry for a friend who would never tell another living soul about the Bureau unless she recommended it. Only if it were recommendation, the duo wouldn't have just starting feeling uneasy

"Hmm, it wont hurt to pay her a visit and find out if anything strange has been happening around her" Baron concluded, walking over to Toto who knew all too well that he will be flying Baron in the human world once more

"Got it," Toto started to speak as Baron boarded his back outside the Bureau. He continued once he took flight and entered the human world "I haven't really been catching up with finding issues here to be honest with you Baron"

"Your honesty is appreciated Toto, let's just focus on getting to-" he was interrupted by a loud explosion to his sensitive ears, causing him to cover his ears and almost lose his balance on Toto's back

"Now what?" Toto asked no one in particular, despite the fact that Baron was the only one there to hear him ask the question. It took only a few seconds for them to realize they were flying too close to a fireworks display they hadn't noticed was being set up before, by the students in Haru's school

"This is going to be a long night" Baron sighed while they flew around the fireworks that could have broken or even killed them

Haru was already at home, sitting on her bed, now typing on her laptop- not homework though! She was looking up conditions in which people claimed they could hear voices telling them about other people around them, though she couldn't find anything. After all it was just a claim and a bit of a stretch for a normal human, but being a Bureau member, she should try to believe in anything even if it's paranormal

"What am I missing here?" Haru asked herself as she lay down on her bed, laptop still on her lap. She placed an arm over her face, to shield her eyes from the light she had been looking at for so long, which started to hurt her eyes. Not only this but for a strange reason she couldn't explain herself, she started crying.

"Reality, you are harsh" she said, subconscious that she stood up at that moment and set the laptop on her desk, typing in something unusual. A result came up. In the same second, she heard at tap on her bedroom window which brought the real Haru back to reality, as she looked to see Toto and Baron standing on the window sill outside. She knelt on her bed and opened the window which was stiff from not opening it in months since winter crept in

"Baron, Toto, I'm surprised to see you here" she admitted

"We're as surprised as you are to see that you have been crying, Haru, everything alright?" Toto asked, concerned more now than he was before, whilst he flew in and landed on the desk. Baron jumped on the bed, careful to regain his balance after the bed retaliated against his movements

"I have? I never realized, haha..." Haru laughed her confusion off as best she could but felt as negative as she did before again, which confused Baron greatly

"Haru, has there been some sort of strange occurrence in your world? We feel something is happening around you" Baron asked

"Has someone asked about the Bureau or have you mentioned it to anyone?" Toto chimed in

"I never told anyone but there is someone who knew about it-" she started to explain before Baron interrupted

"Haru, what do you mean? Someone in your school?"

"I guess, he's a student that somehow knows the history of my life, as well as everyone else... or so he claims the voices in his head tell him everything" she finished with a sigh, looming down at the floor

"Hmm, someone who listens to the voices in his head to tell him about other people" Toto concluded

"This is similar to a case I once found myself in solo, this means this boy in your school is a static-ghost," Baron said with a grave, serious look on his face. Taking a glance at Haru, he knew straight away what was going on inside her conscience "and right now he is taking refuge in your conscience, which explains why you can't understand or control these emotions you're feeling right now"

"What's a static-ghost?" She asked

"When someone passes away before their time, and they do not realize they are deceased, they ignore the fact that they must cross over to what humans call 'the afterlife', but he is close enough to it to be told about the living by the deceased who gain the ability to read a living persons mind, hence why he claims to hear intelligent voices" Baron explained

"So this boy doesn't even know he's dead?" Toto asked, trying to understand the situation as best he could

"That is correct"

"But wait, you mean to say someone killed him? there was no visible blood, wouldn't that have stayed with him if that were the case?"

"Hmm, if you are feeling like this then he is sending a message through that- you seem to be experiencing his depression Haru, so it may be possible that this has something to do with his death" Baron said whilst pacing back and forth on her bed

"Depression can kill a person Baron, isn't it simple to assume no one else was involved in his death?" Toto suggested

"Assumptions won't solve anything, I'm afraid, not a case like this anyway" Baron replied

"Why don't we assume something else then? Let's form the hypothesis that he died of a drug overdose?" Haru suggested

"What?" Toto had completely lost his understanding, and so he shook his head and decided he had nothing more to contribute to this conversation any longer. He instead turned his attention to Haru's laptop, sitting on the desk beside him

"There are drugs that assist depression, although I disagree with the method of relying on it- we can only really find out if we ask him" Baron concluded

"Then I know where we can find him!" Toto exclaimed once he opened the laptop and read the one and only sentence on a word document, an action Haru didn't remember making

"School. Basement. 5:00." Baron read out loud

"The basement? Students aren't allowed down there, how can we get in if it's locked?" Haru warned, sounding slightly agitated with her emotions

"Haru, lie down and close your eyes" Baron said

"Why?"

"Just trust me" Baron said before Haru lied on her back, her hand now covering her forehead as an indication that she had gotten a headache from the refugee in her conscience. He stroked her forehead and using a bit of Creation magic, began to cure her of her headache. Haru then let her arm drop to her side and she smiled at the Barons attempts to make her feel better, eyes still shut.

"We will work something out, that is if this boy doesn't beforehand..." Baron softly reassured both Haru and Toto "and I think just Haru and I will see this young man and see what we can do for him" he looked at Toto who understood what Baron meant, and so he flew out of the open window, sending Haru a cool draft of air from outside, and headed to the Bureau

"I guess that means you're staying here tonight Baron?" Haru asked as she opened her eyes and sat up, with a small retreat from Baron who was standing rather close to her, she closed the window to keep in the warmth, leaving just her and Baron alone for the night.

About ten minutes later, Baron saw that Haru had practically fallen asleep, fortunately wrapped up in bed, so he looked at the document titles on her laptop, which was still on but with half a battery life left- it would be a shame for it to be left on so he made a move to turn it off, but not before he saw the title 'University'. But being the respecting person he is of other people's privacy (despite his 'job') he proceeded to turn off the laptop. Still standing on her desk, he decided it was about time to preserve his energy too for the next afternoon, and so he turned back to wood.


	13. Episode Ten: A Ghostly Presence part two

Episode Ten: A Ghostly Presence part two

The morning came quickly, and Haru felt refreshed. She looked over to her desk where she assumed Baron stood all night in his wooden form, and saw him this way indeed. Not knowing whether he would come to life any minute, she decided not to risk anything so she gently turned him around to face the wall while she dressed for school. Even as she was ready to leave, Baron remained the same so Haru assumed he wanted her to slip him into her bag anyway, and so she did before leaving the house.

"Haru! Glad I just found you! There's a rumour that we're doing a dangerous experiment in science! I can't wait!" Hiromi squeaked

"Are you serious?" Hary asked in surprise

"Apparently it lasts all day, and the whole school is doing it!" Hiromi added with heavy breathing from running up to Haru

"Sounds like fun but if it's dangerous, why are we doing it?" Haru asked, fully knowing that Baron could hear this conversation, so he would be interested too

"Hmm, that's the mysterious part, you'd think a student would have persuaded the science teachers after weeks of nagging" Hiromi noted, with Haru trying to hide her amusement at Hiromi's choice of words such as 'nagging'. Luckily she didn't notice and so they moved into their next conversation.

Upon getting to school, Haru scanned the area for the boy, to not find him around waiting for her. She and Hiromi split up for Hiromi wanted to locate Tsuge

"He must be in the basement already." She concluded out loud without realizing it until Baron spoke from inside her bag, she carefully lifted it over her shoulder so she could hear him and talk quietly, asking him to repeat what he just said

"If he really is a static-ghost, he would still be here, but being as he is still in your conscience, you may not be able to see him unless he wants you to."

"Wait, he's still in my head?!" Haru almost shouted but refrained herself by whispering despite her surprise

"Don't worry, there is still Creation magic in you, that will stop him dominating your mind for now." Reassured Baron as Haru walked into her classroom, hereby reminding him that he needs to be quiet for the next hour, or at least until she said so.

With the first half of the science filled day in the past, the school took a break which was Haru's chance to take a proper look around, also to find a way into the basement without the need of breaking the lock or finding a key; she suspected that there may be a window which she can climb through with her slim body, and with the school empty, it would be easier. This she didn't find, so she went back to her original plan of searching a way to open the door. With Baron still in her bag, lifted over her shoulder, it would be easy for them to talk whilst Haru searched for him

"Haru, if you can't find anything, then I think we had better wait until the time comes." Baron said, noting the document Haru wrote in her subconscience on the laptop as well as their conversation the night before

"I suppose you're right about that, so back to class and more exciting science?" Haru asked

"I may be a Creation but I still understand sarcasm Haru, science is a wonderful and interesting subject," Baron said "have you ever wondered what the universe can do?"

"I have a feeling, as a Bureau member, you're going to show me"

"And if need be, I'll lecture you about it" Baron decided

"Hey wait a minute~"

Science certainly got more interesting in the afternoon: Hiromi sent an explosion rising into the atmosphere, leading to the class evacuating and moving into another room- coincidentally the basement offered as an exception as no other spare room was appropriate, which was convenient, but Baron (though he didn't tell Haru this) felt it was intended that they move down there

"Hiromi, what did you do anyway? We had specific instructions." Haru asked suspiciously

"I know! I followed them, then I turned my back and heard the explosion, I didn't do anything wrong!" She defended herself, and Haru, being her best friend, believed she was telling the truth. Haru wasn't mad either at the reckless actions that were made, after all she was in the basement so she left it as that

"I believe you... at least we're in the basement!" She exclaimed, she addressed Hiromi with this, but intended for Baron to hear it, and without Haru knowing it, he nodded his head in agreement from inside her bag

"Science is so amazing!" Jumped Chiko, another female student in their class, and the smallest. Her hair was black and in layers, the bottom layer reaching her waist, her eyes were blue which stood out because of her hair colour, and she had quite pale skin like Haru. Chiko joined the year only a couple of months ago, so only a few days after Haru's Cat Kingdom adventure, she has a bright personality and a big heart

"You think... so?" Haru laughed nervously at Chiko's outburst, in which she jumped on Haru and Hiromi causing them to wobble under the unexpected surprise attack. Haru and Hiromi were the first friends that Chiko made, and they all became really close straightaway with her, despite her quirks which were fun but slightly irritating as it was always unexpected

"You don't? Science makes the world go round!" She claimed with a sparkle in her eyes

"I see..." Haru felt awkward at this moment which was to be expected being close to Chiko, but also because she knew Baron was listening in, smiling at someone who feels the same way he does.

"Science has been quite interesting Haru, has it not?" Baron asked once he came out of Haru's bag. The end of the day came, and all the students went home except Haru who hid in the basement, thankful that the caretakers decided not to lock the door that night. The duo were alone

"I get it! You heard Chiko! Let's move on, it's almost five." Haru said with a bit of anger in her voice, not only because she didn't like being teased that much, but also because they were waiting for literally a dead man walking to turn up

"I have work to do on you yet Haru" Baron concluded, positioning his top hat the way Haru loved. Suddenly the temperature dropped, causing Haru to shiver, and Baron to tense up slightly.

"I see you have made it, Cat Bureau." Said the familiar voice of Haru's new ghost friend, as he appeared behind them, as he literally walked through the door

"It's you!" Haru noted

"It's nice to finally meet you in person rather than through Haru's sub-conscience," Baron said "I am Baron Humbert Von Gikkingen, as you may already know from the voices in your head, am I right?"

"Yes, I know all about the Bureau members, you seem to be missing three"

"There's only Toto and Muta missing, you mean two?" Haru questioned the figure

"Oh then I guess not yet..." the boy mumbled, not entirely sure what he meant, Baron decided to dismiss the comment and move on

"It seems you have a problem?"

"I can not leave the school building, and the voices do not stop, I am here right now in search of answers from the Bureau where my voices refuse to explain their presence inside me."

"What's your name?" Haru asked out of sympathy, not just because she knew he was dead without realizing it, but because he was also heartbroken and she could feel it. Understand it.

"Junpei Hoshioka," he replied "a name given by someone I can't seem to remember"

"I see, how long have you been in the school then?" Baron chimed in

"Six years and seven days"

"I weren't even here at that time" Haru informed Baron who was standing on the table next to her

"Why have you not left?" Baron asked

"I should have, but I didn't, the voices tell me I have to repeat my years over and over"

"And every time you do, you get stronger..." Haru realized "you only appeared now before everyone because of that, don't you know you're a spirit, you died all those years ago"

"I am talking to you..." he replied in as much defence as he could find, but deep inside he knew that would explain everything

"The voices, you are connected between this world and the next, you must accept your fate and move on Junpei," Baron calmly tried to convince him, whilst Haru approached the ghostly boy

"Touch my hand," she said to him, holding up her hand for him to touch "you connected with me without knowing it, and I feel your pain and negative emotions," she carried on, even as his icy touch made her jolt which concerned Baron slightly "tell us what happened six years and seven days ago."

"I was in a laboratory, experimenting with my class, and an experiment went wrong. I remember collapsing and finding it hard to breath until i couldn't remain conscious any longer, I was rushed to hospital after that-"

"No Junpei, you died here in the school, that's why your spirit is still here, you had no idea when and even if you died," Baron continued to convince him "but we are here to move you on to a new world, where you can be free from pain."

"I see." Junpei's touch left Haru's, and he stepped back as a light began to shine in front of him, cutting him off from Haru. As he walked in, smiling in gratitude, he found one last thing to say but with a grave look on his face "the voices just told me, you need to get out now!" Then he disappeared

"What did he mean by that?" Haru wondered

"There's a familiar scent in the air... Haru get out! We need to get out now!" Baron shouted as he jumped into Haru's shoulder, whilst she dived for her bag and coat, before running out on Baron's warning

"What was that about?!" Haru gasped, she suddenly found it difficult to breath and she as well as Baron heard footsteps approaching, so whilst Baron turned to wood on the floor below, she tried but failed to get to her feet when someone caught her. A teacher. More specifically her science teacher.

"Just keep going Haru" instructed her science teacher, he brought her to the nurses office for an oxygen tank, which was rarely used unless someone had a severe asthma attack. Haru started to breath easier but was still clueless as to what happened, she glanced at the state of Baron which was placed besides her bag on a table

"What happened?" She asked taking breaths between her words, and in a hoarse whisper being as she had not yet found her voice again

"I realized that the experiments would release poisonous gas into the atmosphere at some point, all the teachers were careful to evacuate and the science teachers did a quick search of anyone oblivious to the gas." he explained

"I see..." Haru knew now why Baron rushed her out of the room, but she found it suspicious how he knows what dangerous gas smells like

"What were you still doing in school anyway?" Asked her suspecting teacher

"I forgot something in the basement and I went to look for it" she lied, he would've assumed she was lying if she said she was on a 'ghost adventure', so there really was no other choice but to say what she had said

"I see, the ambulance should be here any second now, I hear the sirens faintly." he noted. Haru looked to the ground and fell into deep thought about the Bureau's dangerous cases she would be involved in from then on. On one hand she knew she could handle it, on the other, she wondered whether it would be fine to tell her mother and Hiromi what she is doing outside of school- only this would be a bad idea if her mother were to pull her out of it, by now she was too deep in the Bureau's membership to retire just yet, not until she absolutely has to; but just when will that be?

Authors note: The behind the scenes will be uploaded sometime around a week into the future. First of all, I am not sure whether AOTCB will continue into season two, but I am in the middle of writing it- however due to writing my own story (not a fanfiction!) I may not upload it for months, college catches up with a person at some point too!

I also have the dreadful feeling that I am just ripping off Catsafari with making my own Cat Returns series, so I don't know what to do now... xO


	14. Behind The Scenes

Behind The Scenes

Baron: Looks like this has been an... eventful series?

Haru: Really? I think there could have been more action?

Muta: You weren't here half the time Chicky!

Toto: You went off somewhere for one case marshmallow!

Muta: say that to my-

Director: that's enough you two! Please enjoy these behind the scene events!

Director: Now then, you play the role of the Cat Creation, Baron. What kind of character is he? Can you also tell the viewers your thoughts about this series?

Baron: He takes pride in helping other people with their problems, especially as he has grown attached to Haru, not just as a Bureau member but as a brave and brilliant teenager with a great heart, which is the reason he proposed her membership into the team. I think it's great to have a spin off series of The Cat Returns where we can really explore how meeting another person changes the way we think of life and our own future. This series is also left on many cliffhangers but that will all be solved I presume?

Director: Now then, Haru, explain your thoughts about coming back into the scene with Baron, Muta and Toto, and also can you give the readers some insight to the changes in your character?

Haru: It's great to be able to join the team, even if I only came back halfway for a Christmas reunion with Baron and the gang. But because I'm in this series and the next, I can look forward to the cliffhangers being solved by the entire Bureau team. The character of Haru may appear different here than when you first saw her but that's because her experience in the Cat Kingdom left her feeling like she wanted more to do with her life than be late to school everyday as a bad habit- it's also why she joined the Bureau, in order to find where her heart belongs and to spend time with the gang of course!

Director: Muta, can you tell us how you feel about being reunited with everyone again? What did you think of series one?

Muta: I think it's great that Chicky's back, but maybe it's a bit much? And why were there killers in something like this anyway?

Director: There was only one...

Muta: doesn't change the fact he still tried to kill the kid! He ran off at the end so he's still out there.

Director: Now then Toto, this season has been generous to you, how do you feel about that?

Toto: It makes a change from appearing only briefly in The Cat Returns movie , and it's been fun watching Haru get mad at Muta especially in 'Then Three Became Four' hehehe...

It's also fun to tease the marshmallow myself, and I expect nothing will change in season two?

Director: The audience will find out soon enough.

Behind the scenes conversations...

Haru: Director, have you written the script yet? For season two that is!

Director: Er... well not yet, but we'll work on it!

Muta: How long will this take anyway? It takes forever!

Baron: Muta, writing alone takes a while, ideas aren't as easy to collect as you think.

Toto: Which is why we want to encourage readers to give new ideas, not connected to the deliberate cliffhangers-

Haru: But it can be anything! Just don't let anyone die...

Muta: You might die anyway Chicky!

Haru: What?! Did someone tell you this?

Director: Muta is just joking...

Haru: I see, instead Muta might die!

Muta: Not on your life Chicky-

Baron: Before you two start fighting, remember who's watching this right now.

Toto: For once, I weren't involved in this, hahaha!

Director: Let us move on!

Director: Next season will bring closure to some unsolved cases, but which ones? Also what is Toto and Haru hiding from Baron and Muta? Why is everything happening, and who is really behind it all? Find out in season two, starting with 'Feline Affairs'!

Haru: That's all the audience have to go on? What's my secret?

Toto: You know what it is already... *sigh*

Haru: Nothing was ever my fault Toto!

Muta: What are you talking about Chicky? Did you blow up another lab?

Baron: I suppose we will have to wait until season two, whenever it will come out.

Haru: ...No I didn't blow up another lab... *starts fiddling with her index fingers*

Director: I assure you all that the cases will be solved at some point, whether it be season two or season three-

Muta: Season three? I thought this was going to be a one-off production?

Baron: This all really depends on if the readers want more, so I suppose we will be looking for supportive reviews and new ideas from the audience?

Director: Someone understands! And it's the amazing Baron!

Toto: Don't steal the spotlight Baron, tell you what... I'll give the audience some hints as to what they should expect!

Director: No no no-

Toto: a lot can happen in a year, from falling into an endless maze to betraying your own team-

Director: But it might not even be the Bureau team, what if there is another team involved?

Haru: Actually Toto might be onto something...

Baron: Lets take this conversation away from the camera. *drags Haru out as Toto follows willingly*

Director: So what now?

Muta: Get writing. *leaves*

Director: *sigh* I guess that's a good idea...


End file.
